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Zeti cautiously upbeat on prospects for Islamic finance industry in Malaysia

The issuing of three mega Islamic banking licenses in Malaysia; starting the implementation of the new Financial Sector Blueprint (FSBP) 2011-2020 including Islamic financial inclusion and microcredit and the internationalization of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry; and helping the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) launch its first sukuk as part of an ambitious issuance program, are just some of the priorities for ...
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GCC sukuk market shows signs of revival

The consensus seems to be universal that the outlook for the sukuk market in 2012 is bright. While Malaysia and Southeast Asia seems to be setting the pace, there are signs that the sukuk sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets and a few fellow MENA countries such as Turkey are showing a rebound, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE offering the best potential.
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Dubai World unit plans to sell UK asset to meet debt

DUBAI: Economic Zones World (EZW), a unit of Dubai World, is considering the sale of its UK-based warehouse property developer Gazeley, as it looks to repay some of its debt of over $2 billion this year, three banking sources said.
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Is Islamic Finance ready for more standardization?

As new market participants enter the scene, Shariah banking continues to grow despite the threat of a global recession. But is the industry also progressing in terms of unity and transparency?
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Promising signs for Saudi sukuk

Sukuk markets in Saudi Arabia have seen steady, albeit unspectacular growth, as leading blue chip names — notably Saudi Electricity Co. and SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.) —have repeatedly tapped the market and a handful of others have followed suit. The Saudi Stock Exchange Tadawul now has secondary trading platform for sukuk with a total eight of listed issuances at present.
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South Africa initiates debut sovereign sukuk issuance process

The winds of change in Islamic finance are really blowing across the southern tip of the African continent - South Africa to be precise. At close of business on Dec. 21 the deadline for financial institutions to submit proposals for advising the South African government on the structuring and issuance of its debut sovereign Sukuk will expire.
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Mahathir urges countries to achieve 50% market share for Islamic banking

Even in retirement he remains the most popular politician to the Muslim "man-and-woman-in-the-street". Now as an elder statesman, Mahathir Mohamed, the former Malaysian prime minister, continues to give advice whether on the global financial crisis, on the future of the Islamic banking industry, on the Islamic gold dinar, on the future of US dollar as an international trading currency, and on his celebrated spat with arch speculator and fund ...
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Madrid aims to become education hub of Europe

Islamic finance and business education has flourished over the last decade or so in line with the growth of the industry. Universities, business schools, colleges and professional bodies - both in the Muslim countries and in other countries especially Europe, Singapore and the US - have introduced courses on Islamic finance purportedly helping to meet the demand for trained human capital, the dearth of which is a major bottleneck threatening ...
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‘Sukuk market is the fastest growing segment of international finance’

"The sukuk market is the fastest growing part of Islamic finance. Indeed it is one of the fastest growing segments in the global financial market. Having attracted interest from the business community worldwide, it has helped place Islamic finance as a viable industry and as an asset class that is not confined to Muslim countries but as part and parcel of the international financial market," says Muhammad Al-Bashir Muhammad al-Amine, who is ...
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Demand for Shariah-compliant PRI increases in MENA

In these volatile times managing global political risks is a major challenge for investors and financiers alike. As the global economic and financial crisis and its impact on markets the world over; the euro zone sovereign debt crisis; and the fallout of the Arab Spring continue to fester, demand for investment, political risk and sovereign risk insurance is soaring as part of risk management and mitigation strategies. In the MENA countries, ...