ISLAMIC FINANCE SPOT

The World Islamic Banking Conference(17th Annual WIBC)Latest Brochure Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:36:00 +0000

Megaevents.net:More than 1,200 industry leaders will gather at WIBC 2010. Take advantage of the special Group Delegate packages to send your executive team to participate in the 17th Annual World Islamic Banking Conference...DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

Watch the video of the last World Islamic Banking Conference 2009. Gulf Hotel Kingdom of Bahrain, December 6,7 & 9, 2009.

Global Islamic Finance Forum (GIFF). Themed “Islamic Finance: Opportunities for Tomorrow”,

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:05:00 +0000

GIFF2010:Bank Negara Malaysia is pleased to host the second Global Islamic Finance Forum (GIFF). Themed “Islamic Finance: Opportunities for Tomorrow”, GIFF 2010 will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 25th to 28th October 2010. GIFF 2010 is a key international event in the calendar of Islamic finance following the success of the inaugural GIFF in March 2007.click here for the brochure:

Venue of the Forum: Mandirin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

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Corporate Governance in Institutions Offering Islamic Financial Services

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:39:00 +0000

WorldBank:Abstract: "This paper reviews Institutions Offering Islamic Financial Services (IIFS) corporate governance (CG) challenges and suggests options to address them. It first points out the importance of CG for IIFS, where it would require a distinct treatment from convention CG and highlights three cases of distress of IIFS.

It then dwells on prevailing CG arrangements addressing IIFS’ needs to ensure the consistency of their operations with Islamic finance principles and the protection of the financial interests of a stakeholders’ category, namely depositors holding unrestricted investment accounts...continue

ICM Quarterly Bulletin - June 2010

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 17:06:00 +0000

SC Malaysia:The latest issue of the Malaysian ICM quarterly bulletin is here, published by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). Among the featured content you will find an interesting article on the Social Dimension of Islamic Finance as well as a piece on Sukuk best practices. This and previous issues of the bulletin are available on their online archive here...

Islamic finance news needs to catch up

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:24:00 +0000

GULFNEWS:News is an important asset for capital markets and the finance industry, and in Islamic finance it is the sunlight needed to "disinfect" accusations of opaqueness.

But today's Islamic finance "news" is often a mix of press releases, articles which repeatedly interview the same subjects, and old information.

It also shows little understanding of the economic environment in which Islamic finance news operates. Islamic finance blogs and chat rooms do a good job of reporting the news, but at times turn into personal attacks which result in electronic bullying...continue

Why Islamic bonds are hot these days

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:11:00 +0000

Financial Times:U.S. treasuries have rallied substantially year to date, driving down their yield to what some believe to be bubble-like levels.

Yet there's another fixed income market booming right now -- Sukuk's, or Islamic bonds. Sukuk's don't technically pay interest, they rather pay a portion of cashflow, similar to a bond yield, related to an underlying investment in order to be compliant with Islamic law....continue

Using Islamic finance to fund projects

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:19:00 +0000

Youtube.com:Mohammad Tariq, Head of Treasury, Islamic Development Bank, outlines how businesses can raise capital using Islamic financial tools, such as sukuk. He also talks to Phil Blizzard about the types of project financing the bank undertake, the sectors it supports, the return on investment and about why the bank has put in place aggressive growth plans.

Advancements in Contemporary Islamic Finance: from practice to scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:25:00 +0000

Youtube:Lecture(Date: Thursday 7 February 2008)in London School of Economics Speakers: Mr Usman Ahmed, Citigroup CEO of Global Islamic Banking, and Shaykh Nizam Yaquby, an Islamic Sharia scholar.Listen to the audio:

part 1 :

part 2:

part 3:

part 4:

part 5:

Al Islami Foods – Taking “Halal”to New Heights

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:15:00 +0000

Dinarstandard.com:Conferred the “Best Halal Food” accolade at the 2010 inaugural Gulfood Awards and voted by The Superbrands Council of UAE (United Arab Emirates) as a 2010 "Super brand," Al Islami Foods has already become the first truly regional Halal Brand.

A UAE based private company, Al Islami has also been recognized as one of the Top 40 Arab Brands by Forbes magazine.

These accolades come as no surprise for Middle East’s top food producer. Since its establishment in 1981, Al Islami Foods has been raising the profile and standard of 'halal' food offerings and is building a reputation of being an industry visionary, and achieving it with integrity and commitment...continue

Global Sukuk Issuance To Reach US$30 Billion In 2010 - Report

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:16:00 +0000

Bernama:The global sukuk issuance is expected to reach US$30 billion in 2010, according to a report prepared by Kuwait Finance House (KFH) Research Limited.

It said the 2010 sukuk market would be driven by the recovery in global economic activity, record low interest rates, continued sovereign fund raising to support economic growth as well as revival of private sector projects...continue

E&Y on Islamic Banks' future

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:20:00 +0000

Youtube:Islamic banks need to reshuffle their business models, Ernst & Young's head of Islamic banking tells the 2010 Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance summit in Bahrain...continue

Sukuk not affected by Global Financial Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:02:00 +0000

AMILIN.TV Exclusive:Interview with Badlisyah Abdul Ghani, Executive Director/CEO CIMB Islamic Bank at World Halal Forum 2010 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre...continue

Ramadan Mubarak 2010 -1431

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:37:00 +0000

Editor: I take this opportunity to wish all Islamicfinancespot readers Ramadan Mubarak 2010!

Hope you will continue to follow IFS.

Editor.

AGONG TO CONFER ROYAL AWARD FOR ISLAMIC FINANCE

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:05:00 +0000

Bernama:The Royal Award for Islamic Finance, spearheaded by the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC), will be conferred on an individual for outstanding contribution for the advancement of Islamic finance globally.

MIFC said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, has consented to bestow the award on Oct 25.

Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, who is also MIFC Executive Committee Chairman, said the royal endorsement added prestige to the award.

"We are honoured to be accorded the royal recognition for the award on its inception. This will further inspire the development of global Islamic finance," she said in a statement today...continue

IFIS releases H1 2010 Global Sukuk Market Report‎

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:34:00 +0000

CPI Financial:Despite the rebound, however, global Sukuk issuances were still down on the record set in H1 2007 of $24 billion, according to a report by London based IFIS (Islamic Finance Information Service). Southeast Asia continues to dominate the Sukuk market with issuances worth $17.35 billion in H1 2010 compared to $8.89 billion in H1 2009 and $4.5 billion in H1 2008.

Malaysia topped the issuer countries in terms of the amount and the numbers of issuances with 310 issuances worth $15.4 billion, followed by Indonesia with 16 issuances amounting to $1.75 billion. The GCC Sukuk market recorded zero issuances on the corporate level, and only one Quasi Sovereign issuance for Saudi Electricity...continue

The $1 Trillion Islamic Finance Market‎

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:17:00 +0000

Glgroup.com/News:Despite concerns over transparency and legal clarity the market for Islamic finance looks set for major growth. Islamic banks have emerged largely unscathed by the sub-prime crisis that devastated the balance sheets of their western counterparts.

An estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide could have a propensity for Islamic financial services according to a recent report as the battle for supremacy intensifies between financial centers in the Gulf and Asia...continue

Branding Strategies for Halal Food Companies

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:33:00 +0000

HalalJournal:In any major food company, developing stringent standards is crucial in assisting the buyer and the food company in strengthening product branding. This fact is by no means different with foodservice companies that serve Halal foods on their menus. Hence, foodservice companies that plan to serve Halal-only menus must carefully assess their branding strategies in order to achieve their desired objectives. As disclosed by a few leading multinational foodservice companies where Halal-only menus already being offered, an effective branding strategy would typically encompass three important elements...continue

Watch The 5th World Halal Forum introductory branding video:

Takaful maintains momentum in 2010, says S&P

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:56:00 +0000

cpifinancial:Standard & Poor's report titled ‘Takaful Insurance Has Long-Term Viability And Benefits From Expected Growth, But Stiff Competition Persists’ sees high expected growth, positive technical results and increasing profitability.

“We consider the potential for sustained growth in this market is significant, buoyed by the still-low insurance penetration and the growing recognition and acceptance of the concept of insurance and its benefits,” said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Neil Gosrani...continue

Sukuk pickup seen in H2: HSBC Amanah

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Btimes.com: Asian demand should help the Islamic bond market recover in the second half from the impact of the global financial crisis, according to HSBC Amanah deputy chief executive Razi Fakhi.

High-profile sukuks coming out Indonesia and Malaysia have served as a catalyst, Fakhi said in a telephone interview with Reuters, adding that the company continues to see demand from issuers.

“Sukuk is a critical offering in Islamic finance and is unlikely to fade out,” he said. “We are quite optimistic that we will see more issuers coming in the second half.” ...continue

Where is the hub of Sharia transactions?

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:09:00 +0000

Gulf News :If London is deemed as the foreign exchange transaction hub and New York for equities, where is the Islamic finance transaction hub? Or is this question ahead of its time? This is not the same as large dollar amount of sukuk listed on Nasdaq Dubai or large volume of sukuk from Malaysia.

It's less about listings, and more about liquidity, as the former is attracted to the latter...continue

Durham Islamic Finance Conference 2010

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:32:00 +0000

Dur.ac.uk:The current financial crisis is considered to be the most severe, since the Great Depression, has shaken the very foundations of the capitalist financial system. Despite the fact that most of those involved in Islamic finance claim the immunity of the sector against the financial crisis, a critical examination of the sources of the current crisis will demonstrate that Islamic finance could potentially encounter a similar fate.

The key factors causing the crisis can be identified at three levels: a deregulated environment, financial institutions engaged in excessive risk taking, and the use of innovative complex products. When the practice of Islamic finance and the environment under which it operates is examined, one can identify trends that are similar to the ones that caused the current crisis....continue

Malaysia To Focus On New Sectors For Economic Transformation

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:34:00 +0000

(Bernama):As the global economy develops slowly, the government is undertaking a form of economic transformation by focusing more on new sectors and development of the domestic economy.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanazlah said new sectors such as Islamic finance where Malaysia occupies the top spot globally and services, can support the fall in manufacturing exports...continue

Call to tap insurance potential

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:20:00 +0000

GulfDailyNews: Synergies between Bahrain and Bermuda mean the two countries have the potential to increase their financial sectors, particularly in the field of insurance and reinsurance.

That was the message from Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa at a seminar on developing further relations between the two countries yesterday at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa...continue

RAM Ratings assigns AA3 rating to AmIslamic’s proposed Sukuk Musharaka programme

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:49:00 +0000

cpifinancial:“Aside from possessing a credit-risk profile that is similar to that of its parent, the bank also relies on the back-room operations and risk-management system of AmBank, on top of leveraging on its branch network and e-channels,” said Promod Dass, RAM Ratings’ Head of Financial Institution Ratings....continue

Halal slaughtering is gaining ground

noreply@blogger.com (HASSAN) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:28:00 +0000

worldpoultry.net:A large part of the world population is practicing the Muslim religion. As a result, the slaughtering of animals in these communities must take place according to Halal requirements. Particularly demand for Halal slaughtered chickens is growing....continue