Reuters

CORRECTED-Islamic investment banks in Gulf eye slimmed-down future

The financial crisis has changed the focus for Bahraini investment banks away from bumper projects and the preference now is for slimmer balance sheets, according to GFH founder Essam Janahi, who last week stepped down as chairman. GFH has now reduced its liabilities to $223 million, from over $2 billion at the peak of the crisis, and is rolling out a more conservative strategy. Future investments will shy away from aggressive rates of return and favour smaller deals to better manage risk, Janahi said. Even some Islamic investment banks which rode out the global crisis fairly comfortably have streamlined their operations and say they will not spurn relatively small deals. Qatar's QInvest for example has streamlined operations and discontinued areas such as wealth management and brokerage services.

Islamic Development Bank considering sukuk programme in Dubai

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is considering setting up an Islamic bond issuance programme in Dubai. It would be the IDB's first sukuk programme in a Middle Eastern country. While discussions are at an early stage, the IDB has seen growing demand for its sukuk and already plans to expand its main London-listed programme to $10 billion from the current $6.5 billion.The IDB sukuk could offer a much-needed boost to trading volumes and encourage issuers from outside the emirate to choose Dubai as their listing venue. Support for sukuk issuance is part of a broad cooperation agreement signed in July between the IDB and the government of Dubai.

Germany's FWU issues rare asset-backed sukuk

FWU Group, a Munich-based financial services company, has issued a $20 million five-year Islamic bond backed by insurance policies. FWU, which offers takaful solutions, used a structure known as wakala. The sukuk is the first tranche of a $100 million programme rated BBB- by Fitch, and arranged by EIIB-Rasmala. Proceeds of FWU's sukuk, which carries a profit rate of 7 percent, will be used to fund a set of re-takaful transactions for its Luxembourg-based unit Atlanticlux, which is the ultimate obligor under the programme. The assets for the transaction are the beneficial rights of insurance policies; ownership is transferred to a Guernsey-based company which is in turn managed by AON PLC, which acts as the agent.

Order book on Turkey's sukuk over USD2.25bn -sources

The order book for the Republic of Turkey's upcoming issue of a five-year US dollar-denominated sukuk bond has swelled to over USD2.25bn. Initial profit rate guidance for the issue remains at a spread of 325bp over mid-swaps. The offering has received a balanced response across geographies, anchored by accounts in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The 144A/Reg S issue is expected to price this week, but books could go subject at short notice. HSBC, QInvest and Standard Chartered are the leads. The issue is expected to be rated Baa3 by Moody's and BBB- by Fitch.

Order book on Turkey's sukuk over USD2.25bn -sources

The order book for the Republic of Turkey's upcoming issue of a five-year US dollar-denominated sukuk bond has swelled to over USD2.25bn. Initial profit rate guidance for the issue remains at a spread of 325bp over mid-swaps. The offering has received a balanced response across geographies, anchored by accounts in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The 144A/Reg S issue is expected to price this week, but books could go subject at short notice. HSBC, QInvest and Standard Chartered are the leads. The issue is expected to be rated Baa3 by Moody's and BBB- by Fitch.

Abu Dhabi's Al Hilal Bank to price debut sukuk Tues, subject to markets

Abu Dhabi government-owned Al Hilal Bank will price its debut Islamic bond offering on Tuesday, subject to market conditions, especially the shutdown of the U.S. government. Books are now open for the transaction, with commitments from investors already totalling $2.75 billion. The five-year sukuk will be of benchmark size - traditionally understood to be worth at least $500 million - with initial price guidance set at 190 basis points over midswaps. Al Hilal is due to conclude meetings with fixed-income investors on Monday in London. Citigroup, HSBC, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Standard Chartered are arranging the roadshows, along with Al Hilal itself.

Yemen may issue sukuk to fund oil product imports

Yemen's government may issue a local-currency Islamic bond this year to finance its imports of petroleum products, its central bank governor Mohammed Awad bin Hamam said. The sukuk could be worth about 50 billion Yemeni rials ($233 million) and use a salam structure. The interest rate is expected to be around 10 percent, with a maturity of three or five years. Yemen's recovery plans are heavily dependent on foreign aid, but the recovery is fragile. The International Monetary Fund expected Yemen's gross domestic product to grow around 6 percent this year.

Albaraka Turk secures murabaha loan

Bahraini lender Al Baraka Bank's Turkish unit Albaraka Turk has secured an Islamic murabaha syndicated loan of $196 million and 175.5 million euros ($237 million). The loan, in one- and two-year tranches, had a cost of LIBOR/EURIBOR +1 percent and LIBOR/EURIBOR +1.35 percent respectively.

Bank of Khartoum plans 12 more retail branches and launching financing for livestock exports

The Bank of Karthoum will add 12 new retail branches and cash points, mainly in eastern and central Sudan, bringing the total number to 75 by next year and has steadily expanded its business in Africa. Its main shareholders, Dubai Islamic Bank, Sharjah Islamic Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, are more than tripling the capital. In a second expansion step, the bank will launch several dedicated funds for private firms to finance the export of livestock and agricultural products such as sesame seeds to Gulf Arab countries, Jordan and Egypt. Faced with the loss of most oil reserves to South Sudan, Sudan is trying to boost exports of gold and farming exports such as cotton, cash crops or gum arabic from its vast farmlands.

Al Hilal Bank's trust certificate issuance programme rated

Fitch Ratings has assigned Al Hilal Bank's USD2,500,000,000 trust certificate issuance programme an expected Long-term rating of A+ and expected Short-term rating of F1. Key rating drivers are solely Al Hilal's Issuer Default Ratings.

Investment firm Arcapita emerges from US bankruptcy

Islamic investment firm Arcapita is the first Gulf company to emerge from U.S. bankruptcy under Chapter 11 rules. Arcapita’s plan is to transfer its assets into a new holding company which will dispose of them over time to pay off creditors and gradually wind-down the firm. Arcapita’s creditors include Barclays, CIMB, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered and the Central Bank of Bahrain – its largest creditor with $255.1 million owed.

Turkey mandates banks for sukuk issue

Turkey mandated banks for its second sovereign sukuk issue in international markets and will hold a series of investor meetings in the Middle East and Asia. HSBC, QInvest and Standard Chartered have been mandated to explore opportunities for a possible lease certificate issuance in the international capital markets. Turkey has borrowed $4.2 billion from international capital markets so far this year and plans to borrow a total of up to $6.5 billion through a mix of Eurobond, Samurai and sukuk issues by the end of the year.

Britain expands Islamic finance services

A task force to encourage British banks to establish sharia-compliant products, aims to position London as a Western hub for a fast-growing Islamic finance sector. The country hopes to step up the challenge to Islamic finance centres such as Dubai and Kuala Lumpur and wants to be the leading (Islamic) finance sector outside of the Muslim world. It will make it easier for banks in London to have Islamic products. Britain currently has 22 financial institutions, including five fully sharia-compliant banks, offering Islamic finance products, and 30 London law firms offering expertise on the sector.

Telekom Malaysia to issue $907.7 million sukuk

Telekom Malaysia will issue a sukuk, of up to 3 billion ringgit ($907.72 million) in nominal value to fund its working capital. Telekom, in which the Malaysian government owns a 68.6 percent stake, is supported by its dominance in the fixed-lined telephone sector and the nation's low penetration rate of 30 percent for household broadband services, said RAM Ratings.

Bank Asya plans to issue min 125 mln lira sukuk by end-2013

Turkish Islamic lender Bank Asya plans to issue at least 125 million lira ($62 million) of lira-denominated sukuk by the end of the year, according to deputy general manager Feyzullah Egriboyun. Bank Asya applied to the Capital Markets Board to issue sukuk worth up to 1 billion lira in July.

Al Baraka Turk plans more than $200 mln sukuk issue

Bahraini lender Al Baraka Bank's Turkish unit plans to issue more than $200 million of sukuk, in the last quarter of this year or early 2014, according to executive vice president Ayhan Keser. Keser said the timing would depend on market conditions and the maturity of the sukuk was likely to be 5 years.

RPT-Fitch Assigns ATLANTICLUX's Salam III Sukuk Programme 'BBB-(EXP)' Rating

Fitch Ratings has assigned Salam III Limited's USD100m insurance-linked Sukuk programme an expected rating of 'BBB-(EXP)'. Fitch has also assigned a rating of 'BBB-(EXP)' to the proposed first USD20m tranche under the programme. ATLANTICLUX Lebensversicherung S.A. (ATL) acts as ultimate obligor in the programme, which is sponsored by ATL's parent company FWU AG. The Sukuk programme's rating is the same as ATL's Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR). Each tranche of the Salam III Sukuk programme will have its final payment date five years after its issuance. The first tranche of USD20m is currently planned to be issued in September 2013. Proceeds from the programme will be used to finance upfront acquisition costs of new business. The Sukuk programme has no material impact on ATL's credit fundamentals such as financial leverage or capitalisation.

S&P downgrades Bahrain's Al Baraka Bank to junk status

Standard & Poor's reduced Al Baraka's rating from BBB- to BB+ with a negative outlook on the back of increased sovereign and economic risk in the regions where it operates, particularly Egypt and Jordan. Operating environment and credit conditions in the MENA region is expected to remain tough over the coming 12-18 months. Consequently, S&P foresees an adverse impact on Al Baraka's business and financial profiles. The negative outlook reflects S&P's view that the lender's capitalisation could deteriorate if, for instance, Egypt defaults and economic conditions worsen in Jordan. This is the first time that Al Baraka has been downgraded. Earlier this week, the lender said that net income for the second quarter of 2013 rose 11 percent from a year ago to $42 million.

IFR-Swiber's debut sukuk brings Brunei buyers to Singapore

Almost half of the 150 million Singapore dollar ($118 million) sukuk issued by Swiber went to investors from Brunei, helping Swiber clinch pricing that was more competitive than conventional debt. Swiber's five-year deal priced last week to yield 6.5 percent and was backed by strong anchor demand from high-quality institutional investors before books opened. About half of the bonds were allocated to Islamic institutions. The biggest chunk, 46.3 percent, went to Brunei, while Malaysia took 10.0 percent and Singapore 43.7 percent. Institutional buyers accounted for a huge 96.5 percent share of the deal. Maybank Kim Eng was sole lead arranger and global coordinator for the programme. Proceeds from the issue will be used to refinance debt and support capital expenditure.

Turkey's Bank Asya applies for sukuk issue of up to 1 bln lira

Turkish Islamic lender Bank Asya said on Monday it had applied to the Capital Markets Board to issue sukuk worth up to 1 billion lira ($520 million). The bank said in a statement to the Istanbul stock exchange it had mandated its brokerage arm for the issue.

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