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The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector the private sector arm of Islamic Development Bank Group and the African Export-Import Bank signed a line of financing agreement for a $100-million facility on December 24th in Jeddah.

The $100-million line of financing facility will be utilized by Afreximbank to provide Shariah-compliant financing to small and medium-sized enterprises in its member countries in Africa. Afreximbank has a solid pipeline of projects in the industrial, communication, technology, health care, construction and agricultural sectors that would be financed by the ICD line of financing.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), a development finance institution of the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations Deposit (CDC), a financial institution backed by the government of Gabon, recently announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a private equity fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Gabon and elsewhere in Central Africa.The goal of the fund is to foster the growth of SMEs that have been ill-served by banks and thus to grow the region’s economy as a whole.
As of October 13, 2015, ICD reported total assets of USD 1.7 billion and annual income of USD 97 million. No financial information for CDC is available. CDC has a balance sheet of XAF 195 billion (approximately USD 315 million).

Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) has launched a $300 million five-year sukuk that should price later on Wednesday. The transaction seems to have struggled to gain traction with investors, having initially been earmarked to price as early as Tuesday and sized as a benchmark offering. ICD has "retained a portion of the transaction", but no details were given. The issuer has also set pricing at the wide end of the 125-130 basis points over midswaps guide range given on the previous day. Noor Bank and Warba Bank have been added to the 10-strong group of banks arranging the transaction: Bank ABC, Boubyan Bank, CIMB, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, First Gulf Bank, HSBC, Mizuho, Societe Generale and Standard Chartered.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) has announced investment of about Tk 155 crore to acquire 10 percent stakes in Bangladesh's Al-Arafah Islami Bank. Al-Arafah Islami Bank will issue around 11 crore fresh shares of Tk 10 each with Tk 4 as premium to the ICD. Khaled Al Aboodi, chief executive officer of the ICD, and Badiur Rahman, chairman of Al-Arafah Islami Bank, inked the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations. The investment is, however, subject to shareholder consent and regulatory approvals from the central bank, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission and other relevant authorities.

Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and Saturna Sdn. Bhd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Saturna Capital Corporation, plan to sign an agreement to cooperate in offering sustainable Islamic investment vehicles. The parties sign the agreement at the Responsible Finance Summit in Kuala Lumpur on March 30. This partnership highlights ICD’s dedication to promoting the adoption of responsible investment principles in Islamic finance. In choosing Saturna as its partner, ICD will be tapping the firm’s expertise in global values-based investing and its experience in managing US-based Amana Funds as well as Saturna Sustainable Funds.

Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) has chosen ten banks to arrange a series of meetings with fixed income investors ahead of a potential sale of sukuk, a document from lead arrangers showed. The unit of Islamic Development Bank will roadshow in Asia, Europe and the Middle East commencing on Mar. 23, with a dollar-denominated sukuk of benchmark size to be issued after the meetings, subject to market conditions. Bank ABC, Boubyan Bank, CIMB, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, First Gulf Bank, HSBC, Mizuho, Societe Generale and Standard Chartered are the chosen arrangers of the meetings and potential sukuk issue.

With a more inclusive foreign policy, including a renewed stance on the Middle East and Africa, Chinese president Xi Jinping has set in motion greater China-OIC relations, with the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative a central pillar to China’s grand strategy. In light of this development, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) is hosting an event to connect investors and regulators from Asia, Africa and the Gulf with senior decision-makers of the world’s second-largest economy. To be held in Beijing on the 22nd March, 2016, the pioneering China OIC Forum aims to enhance partnerships between key industry players and multilateral bodies as well as identify joint investment opportunities.

Hogan Lovells advised the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), as arranger, on the arrangement of an inaugural CFA 150 billion sukuk offering by the government of Ivory Coast. The debut sukuk is an amortising sukuk al-ijara targeted at local banks and institutional investors. The offering mirrors a successful Senegal sukuk that Hogan Lovells advised on in 2014. The team was led by the firm’s global head of Islamic finance, Rahail Ali, and partner Imran Mufti. They were assisted by debt capital markets partner Baptiste Gelpi, in, Paris and Lina Bugaighis, Dubai. Bensaid outlines the sukuk sector as very promising, referring to recent developments which have seen governments focusing more on creating a more enabling environment for sukuk issuances.

Hogan Lovells has advised the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), as arranger, on the inaugural CFA150 Billion sukuk offering by the Government of Côte d'Ivoire. The sukuk is an amortising sukuk al-ijara and is targeted at local banks and institutional investors. It mirrors the successful Senegal sukuk that Hogan Lovells advised on in 2014. Hogan Lovells' team was led by Global Head of Islamic Finance, Rahail Ali and Partner Imran Mufti. They were assisted by Partner Baptiste Gelpi, International Debt Capital Markets, Paris and Lina Bugaighis, Dubai. Hogan Lovells is an international legal practice that includes Hogan Lovells International LLP, Hogan Lovells US LLP and their affiliated businesses.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private sector (ICD) and OJSC Agroinvestbank of the Republic of Tajikistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation to consider extension of a Line of Financing facility to OJSC Agroinvestbank as part of the country programme allocation of USD 25 million for the Republic of Tajikistan. The Line of Financing facility will be extended by OJSC Agroinvestbank to the SMEs sector to project's in industrial, communication, technology, health, construction and agricultural sectors. Previously ICD extended a total of USD 11.5 million Line of Financing facility for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tajikistan which demonstrates ICD’s firm commitment to develop the private sector in its member countries.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and OJSC Agroinvestbank of the Republic of Tajikistan have signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation to consider extension of a line of financing facility to OJSC Agroinvestbank as part of the country program allocation of $25 million for Tajikistan. The line of financing facility will be extended by OJSC Agroinvestbank to the SMEs sector to project’s in industrial, communication, technology, health, construction and agricultural sectors. Khaled Al-Aboodi, CEO and general manager of ICD, said the SME sector is important in all the member countries, including the higher income ones. ICD is now focusing on this sector by extending lines of finance to local banks in addition to the establishment of ASR Leasing Company in Tajikistan.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM). The purpose of the MoU is to establish and implement a framework for the cooperation between the two parties for contribution to economic development and financial inclusiveness in the Asian and African region, and in so doing to enhance the ability of both organisations to achieve their respective objectives and mandates. The MoU was signed by Mr. Khaled Mohammed Al-Aboodi, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the ICD, and Professor Datuk Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim, Chief Executive Officer of the IILM.

Thomson Reuters and Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) have released the key findings of the Islamic Finance Development Indicator (IFDI) Report 2015. The report examines the key statistics and trends across five indicators that are deemed to be significant for measuring the development of the US$1.8 trillion Islamic finance industry. These include Quantitative Development, Knowledge, Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Awareness. According to the report, Malaysia leads IFDI again while GCC countries continue to dominate the top of the rankings for a third year in a row.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), in collaboration with Anfaal Capital agreed to establish a Saudi Arabia-focused venture capital fund.
The joint initiative aims to promote and foster the development of the domestic venture capital market in Saudi Arabia. The initiative leverages KAUST’s expertise in new technologies, as well as the ICD SME Program’s experience in the development and management of investment vehicles.
The Fund will provide venture capital (VC) funding for high-tech start-ups located in Saudi Arabia and lead early-stage financing rounds attracting local investors and international venture capitalists. Furthermore, it will invest in sectors that are strategic for the region and nurture entrepreneurship and technological innovation, stimulating the creation of high-value jobs.
The Fund will search for unique and innovative venture capital opportunities and provide the “smart and hands-on capital” needed to start and then sustain these companies.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), in collaboration with Anfaal Capital agreed to establish a Saudi Arabia-focused venture capital fund.
The joint initiative aims to promote and foster the development of the domestic venture capital market in Saudi Arabia. The initiative leverages KAUST's expertise in new technologies, as well as the ICD SME Program's experience in the development and management of investment vehicles.

At the 5th Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) 2015 held at the Gulf Convention Center, the CEO of Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), Mr Khaled Al-Aboodi, was awarded the "Islamic Finance Personality of the Year" for his contribution to the development of the Global Islamic finance industry. The Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) aims to highlight the best practices in Islamic banking and finance, and honor the efforts and contributions of individuals and institutions in the Islamic finance industry. Previous award recipients of GIFA include leaders such as Tun Abdullah Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia and HE Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and the Regional Council for Public Savings and Financial Markets (CREPMF), Regional Financial Market Regulatory Body of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) zone sign a partnership and cooperation agreement to promote Islamic finance in the WAEMU sub-region. The goal is to help mobilize long-term resources of the Union Member states and private sector companies, especially SMEs. The agreement covers the cooperation, the exchange of information, the development of the regulatory framework in order to create an enabling environment for Islamic finance, and the sharing of experiences and expertise of both institutions in the agreed areas.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) secured a 13-month US$300 million Islamic Murabaha financing facility (the "Facility") from Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC , First Gulf Bank PJSC , Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and Mizuho Bank Nederland N.V. in early June 2015. Dubai Islamic Bank acted as the sole Coordinator of the Facility, in addition to being the Mandated Lead Arranger along with First Gulf Bank, Mizuho Bank Malaysia and Mizuho Bank Nederland. The Facility, the largest to-date for ICD, is part of ICD 's US$1.2 billion global resource mobilization program for 1436H (2015). The proceeds of the Facility was deployed for use of ICD 's ordinary operations.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector and the Government of Cote d’Ivoire are co-hosting the Islamic Finance Forum on 17-18 September 2015. The event aims at stimulating development of the local and international market of Islamic finance in Africa and particularly in Côte d’Ivoire in line with government’s National Development Plan 2016-2020 and to explore cross border trades between international investors and African nations through opportunities made available through Islamic finance. This invitation-only event is designed for the benefit of local and international market players to explore the development opportunities in Islamic finance both in the Cote d’Ivoire, locally and regionally.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) signed a memorandum of understanding with China International Contractors Association (CHINCA) formalizing the parties’ cooperation in identifying and cultivating investment opportunities in the construction, infrastructure and other key industries by leveraging on areas of expertise and utilizing services currently offered by both parties. The strategic collaboration also aims to build a fruitful networking platform by developing and participating in business-matching forums as a means to identify forces shaping the industry and connect key industry players. CHINCA has more than 1,300 members to date, and about 800 members are engaged in international project contracting and investment.