Islamic Banking
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LATEST ARTICLES
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Digital sukuk issuance still faces the issue of uneven Shariah interpretation.
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Both Egypt and Turkey have recently been able to tap dollars more cheaply through sukuk.
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Islamic finance remains a federation of country-level success stories with no comparable global narrative. Does it matter if that’s where it stays?
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Islamic finance has a choice: continue on its existing path and consolidate its hard-earned gains in market share, or shake the whole thing up. One proposal calls for an end to the fractional-reserve banking system.
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The launch of an SRI-linked sukuk framework this summer is a blueprint for others to follow.
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Why do Saudi Arabia and Malaysia still overwhelm every other state in Islamic asset management?
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There has always been great overlap between Shariah-compliant finance and ESG principles. Malaysia is trying to harness the potential that arises from this confluence.
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Across every sector and region HSBC stands out for its commitment to developing partnerships and products that will bring finance at scale to create a more sustainable and resilient planet.
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Fraud, commodity prices and concerns over defaults have created a perfect storm for commodity trade finance – and the capacity of trading firms and finance funds to support the market remains unclear.
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Emirates NBD has excelled in all elements of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, from steps taken to protect the health of its employees to loan deferrals for its customers; but what really stands out is the bank’s commitment to its community.
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As the Middle East enters a new phase of development, one in which governments can no longer rely on endless petrodollars and in which economies built on global trade and travel will have to adapt to survive, it will need banks with outstanding M&A and advisory capabilities. Citi is such a bank.
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HSBC has been central to maintaining imports of vital goods into the region, even while national borders slammed shut.
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The Middle East is a hard market in which to be truly sustainable, given the vast amount of money in the region that is tied to oil now and will be for some time.
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Under the stewardship of chief executive Jean-Christophe Durand, formerly head of BNP Paribas’s Middle East and Africa operations, National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) embarked on a radical transformation programme in 2017 that delivered impressive results during the awards period.
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Ahli United Bank, Bahrain’s largest bank by assets, reported a 5% increase in profits to $730.5 million and saw its cross-border business grow to 20% of its loan portfolio in 2019. Its takeover by Kuwait Finance House has been postponed until December due to the coronavirus outbreak, ruling it out of this year’s best bank award.
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Banking is evolving in Saudi Arabia – the Gulf’s largest economy – with government and regulatory initiatives boosting growth in the sector.
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Profit pressure is a threat to every bank, says Qatar Islamic Bank’s group CEO Bassel Gamal, discussing how Qatar’s robust and well-capitalized banking sector is navigating the twin shocks of lower oil prices and coronavirus.
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A draft law in the United Arab Emirates will see more family-run corporates listing, while pension reforms will create a huge pool of investable assets.
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Expect the unexpected with the former PM at a Vegas bunfight.
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Voted for by more than 7000 treasury professionals, find out which banks rank top in the Euromoney Trade Finance Survey 2020.
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Euromoney has drawn up six recommendations for the sustainable finance sector, based on the views of 20 experts in the field. The fourth of our six proposals is to develop transition finance.
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Leading bankers in sustainable finance fear that, despite the advances and the rhetoric, the industry is not moving quickly enough. Euromoney asked 20 regional and global heads of sustainable finance for their views: what the experts think might surprise you.
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Euromoney has spoken to 20 sustainable finance experts about what is needed to bring about real progress. The last of our six recommendations is for efforts to be made to incentivize green finance.
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$140 million green bond funding used to build… a petrochemical refinery.
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To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean up water supplies, prevent the loss of biodiversity, mitigate fire and flood risk and meet the nutritional requirements of a growing population the world must improve its regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices – new tools and support from the financial services industry are needed to fund that transition.
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Countries fall off the global financial grid for a host of reasons: political obtuseness, lack of sovereign recognition, the departure of correspondent banking relationships, even Ebola. But we make a mistake if we think of these places as distant and uninteresting curios
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Singapore has everything a market hub needs, but has not built on its regulatory environment.
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Blockchain has the potential to revolutionize trade finance, but a lack of standardization will hinder its adoption.
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Euromoney and its sister publication GlobalCapital are conducting a worldwide survey on the fast-growing area of sustainable financing and investing. Both issuers and investors are invited to take part.
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The vexed battle to finance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continues amid risk aversion, economic weakness, new regulations and banks’ balance-sheet repair. Here is a round-up of Euromoney's recent coverage.
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Islamic finance has come a long way over the past few decades, maturing into a $2.4 trillion industry, but some long-term problems remain and the recent wrangle over a Dana Gas sukuk shows credibility is still an issue.
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For nearly two decades Dubai has acted as the beating heart of Middle Eastern finance, but now its long-dormant rivals are mounting successful efforts to reclaim a piece of the action.
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Digital innovation has the potential to transform international trade, yet many argue that banks are lagging in replacing antiquated systems for trade with smart solutions. What is behind the delays?
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Veteran investor launches financial services firm to capitalize on reforms in Uzbekistan, while HSBC banker tapped to drive sovereign Eurobond debut.
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Islamic finance has become too focused on getting arcane structures to be technically Shariah compliant, but a new initiative in Malaysia attempts to make Islamic finance socially positive once more – and to measure its success.
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These are the areas that the United Nations says banks need to consider when accepting their responsibilities in shaping and financing a sustainable future.
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Over 20 years after microfinance first arrived in Kyrgyzstan, the largest players are transforming into banks to lower funding costs and increase financial inclusion. Can they convince the country’s farmers to put their cash into banks instead of cows?
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Euromoney's latest coverage of the bond markets in Africa.
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New policies, new hope – the Malaysian election has lots of positives, but not for anyone who is seen as having been a Najib acolyte. For them, the axe is already falling.
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The Middle East’s financial centres are keen to collaborate on fintech, in an effort to catch up with US, UK and Asian markets. But with rich pickings on offer, there is also stiff competition to establish fintech dominance.
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The country’s Employees Provident Fund puts considerable effort into Shariah compliance from an ESG framework. Could chief executive Shahril Ridza Ridzuan have hit upon a template for other Islamic funds?
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The impediments to providing more trade finance to emerging-market clients are well known, but that does not make them any easier to overcome. Could the ultimate solution be in turning trade finance into an attractive asset class for institutional investors?
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Banks in Qatar have been hit hard by its powerful neighbours’ unexpected blockade, but finance, just like other sectors of the Qatari economy, is finding ways to cope with this sudden realignment of regional alliances.
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Dana Gas, an Emirati gas company, is using Shariah non-compliance as an argument in its sukuk restructuring talks. That remarkable move, if successful, could undermine the whole system of trust built around Islamic finance in the Middle East.
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The 2017 Euromoney Trade Finance Survey includes quantitative and qualitative client assessments of their trade finance providers. This year for the first time, Euromoney has produced the Trade Finance Stars, based on the qualitative responses of clients, a ranking that recognizes providers with exceptional qualitative ratings in particular regions and in five areas of client service (full methodology here).
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The dearth of equity financing in the region plays into the hands of firms with strong debt franchises. The local banks are not leaving this business to the internationals and there is one local in particular whose efforts to develop its debt financing capacity should be recognized, not least for tapping into the local investor base.
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Events such as the rise and fall in the oil price and the steep devaluation of the Egyptian pound, made 2016 another eventful year for markets businesses in the Middle East.