FAST FINANCE Emerging markets are selling off in historic ways as a basket of emerging market currencies hits lows not seen since before the commodities supercycle began at the start of the millennium.  Besides emerging market currency values, also sliding are foreign exchange reserves held by emerging markets, commodities ... Read More

Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), which invests in the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) countries’ energy sector, recently announced a $3 billion sukuk program that could transform the balance sheet of this smaller, lesser known Saudi multilateral development bank (MDB) as well as its future investment strategy.  The ... Read More

FAST FINANCE Following our special report on Iran before Eid, we follow up on the impact of the Iran agreement with the P5+1 on providers of export finance to the companies that will resume trading with the Islamic Republic and a look at growth in real estate investment by Iranians in ... Read More

FAST FINANCE All eyes this week were on the Eurozone as Greece teeters on the brink of Euro exit.  The ripples spread across the world…and across the Mediterranean with effects on North Africa, the Levant and Turkey, as described in our first feature article.  In other MENASEA news, Malaysia’s ... Read More

Dubai has made great strides towards being the center for sukuk listing globally. The total number of listed sukuk on NASDAQ Dubai and Dubai Financial Market accounts for $ 31.7 billion across 42 listed sukuk. Bursa Malaysia--which had previously been the most active—has the same number of listed sukuk ... Read More

Oman’s new Islamic banking department established by the Central Bank is reflective of the commitment to Islamic banking. It also shows how regulation can be supportive of the growth potential for Islamic banking.  While Oman’s Islamic banking has stayed in the spotlight, takaful is on the sidelines waiting for ... Read More

The recent election in Turkey could sow the seeds of future growth for private participation banks despite being widely seen as a headwind to the sector as Justice and Development Party (AKP) experienced a defeat in being pushed either into a coalition government for the first time, or call for ... Read More

The current state of the green bond market. The moral and ethical imperative driving issuer and investor interest What’s in it for the issuers and investors? SRI sukuk in Malaysia: Will the GCC adopt or chart its own path The values of Islamic finance are deep rooted upon the ethical, environmental and socially responsible ... Read More