The advantages of issuing Islamically have already been extolled in these pages – but what about the next step? Once the decision is taken to go down the Islamic path, the first decision is whether to issue by private placement or list

The World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank in 2017 published their first ever Global Report on Islamic Finance, a move that highlights the increasingly mainstream appeal of the sector. The report, entitled ‘A Catalyst for Shared Prosperity’, emphasizes the ethical nature

Domestic Islamic financing growth in Malaysia is outpacing the conventional market, driven by a regulatory push to make Islamic banks more competitive in the global marketplace. Decades of government support have given Islamic banks an edge over their conventional peers – making

The Islamic retail market in the Gulf is booming, and banks are continuously rolling out new initiatives to encourage take-up and attract new customers. With an ever-expanding array of offerings, this month we take a look at some of the latest Shariah

The Accounting and Auditing organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) has released a new proposal for centralized Shariah boards at a national level, which it is expected will assist the industry to achieve harmonization in Shariah interpretations and consequently widen the appeal

In the latest development across the fintech space to shake up traditional avenues of financing, Dubai has confirmed that it plans to regulate crowdfunding platforms – both Islamic and conventional – as part of its goal to make the emirate an innovation-friendly

In January 2017 the Africa Finance Corporation issued its debut US$150 million Sukuk, the largest ever from an African entity and the latest transaction to highlight the growing opportunities in the African market. We take a look at the most recent developments

This month Kuwait’s EQUATE Group became one of the first GCC corporates to tap the Islamic capital market in an exceptionally successful issuance that should open the floodgates for corporate issuance in Kuwait after it introduced new Islamic bond regulations in 2016. 

In the fourth quarter of 2016 Abu Dhabi national carrier Etihad raised US$1.5 billion in the largest ever aviation and corporate issuance in the MENA region. For a debut issuance, the investor reception was outstanding – especially for a privately-placed transaction. We

The corporate banking chief of one of the GCC’s leading Sukuk arrangers gives us the lowdown on the current state of the Islamic debt capital market – and a sneak peek into what we can expect for 2017. This month, NAVEED ALI

CORPORATE Digi to raise US$1.1 billion MALAYSIA: Mobile operator Digi plans to raise RM5 billion (US$1.12 billion) in Sukuk to pay for network upgrades. The funds will be raised through an Islamic 15-year medium-term notes program of up to RM5 billion as