Aberdeen Islamic – More Client Queries The decision by JPMorgan to include Sukuk in its indexes will draw more global investors to the Sukuk market and boost trading of the financial instrument. Barclays made a similar decision last year in a move which at the time was stated would boost international demand by attracting more non-Islamic investors to Malaysian sukuk. Barclays Global Aggrega... »

IDB Prize for Women’s Contribution to Development The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is an international financial institution with a membership of 57 countries spreading across different continents and regions. Its mission is to promote comprehensive human development, with a focus on the priority areas of alleviating poverty, improving health, promoting education, improving governance and prospe... »

Report by Asian Development Bank – Asia Bond Monitor September 2016, Review of Islamic Finance and Sukuk market in South East Asia. Sukuk represented 11.8% share vs. conventional in Indonesia and 54.6% in Malaysia Emerging East Asia’s G3 currency bond issuance declined 2.5% y-o-y in January–July In Southeast Asia, total G3 currency bond issues (bonds issued in US dollars, yen and euros) were... »

Commentary by RHB Global Sukuk Markets Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Saudi Banking Sector Gets SAR20bn Injection The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) injected SAR20bn (USD5.3bn) into the banking system via time deposits, and also introduced 7 day and 28 day repurchase agreements in support of more monetary policy tools to support the economy. This comes after the 3 month Saudi Interbank Off... »

Commentary by Yi Ren Thng, Visiting Scholar, Centre for Chinese Studies, Stellenbosch University Corporate China Expressing an Interest in Islamic Finance With only roughly 20 million Muslims in China, it is not surprising that Islamic finance has not taken off in China. Recently, however, some Chinese companies have expressed interest in tapping into offshore pools of Islamic funds. For example, ... »

Retail Demand and Government Support is Helping Boost Growth Strong retail demand and proactive government support is assisting Islamic banks to grow at a faster pace when compared with their conventional peers. Khalid Howladar, Global Head of Islamic Finance at rating agency stated “Growth in the Islamic banking sector continues to broadly outpace that of conventional banks in most systems ... »

G20 and OECD Highlight use of Islamic Financing Instruments for Infrastructure Development In a recent joint G20 and OECD paper, the use of Islamic financing instruments such as Sukuk was highlighted and a number of successful case studies referenced as a means of advancing the global investment agenda, with a focus on infrastructure development, both in terms of quantity and quality. Mapping of i... »

Off Market UK Islamic Finance Transaction An iconic House of Fraser building in Cardiff, Wales has been acquired in an off-market purchase by Rosette Merchant Bank in partnership with Naissance Capital Real Estate from M&G Real Estate for £37m. The purchase was made on behalf of Middle Eastern investors. Rosette’s Chief Executive, Oliver Wynne-James said, “This deal demonstrates the ongoing ap... »

Senegal’s recent sukuk bought a welcome return to an Islamic finance transaction for the purposes of social good. »

World Sharia Stock Market Centre Announcements from the stock exchanges of Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as the Channel Islands this week are welcome signals for the cross border development of the Islamic Capital markets. The World Sharia Stock Market Centre, to be developed by the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) and Bursa Malaysia aims to establish a global benchmark for Islamic capital market... »