Islamic-compliant insurance – takaful – is finally getting off the mark, with Moody’s predicting a global market worth $7bn by 2015. Farhan Bokhari, in Karachi, reports.
If Pakistan successfully launches an Islamic-compliant treasury bond, it will lift the growth potential of the country’s embryonic Islamic banking sector. Farhan Bokhari reports from Karachi.
Islamic finance institutions in the GCC are hoping that, as more specialised courses in Islamic finance come on stream, the gap between the number of people qualified in Islamic finance and job vacancies will narrow. Lucia Dore reports.
The development of Islamic hedge funds and other complex instruments, as well as the provision of mortgages for a market hungry for property, shows how far the Islamic finance industry has come and where it is heading, write Mark Ford and Jon Marks.
Faced with political instability following the Israeli-Hizbullah war, Lebanon’s banks have expanded abroad in order to diversify their income sources. Stephen Timewell reports from Beirut.
Given its sound financial infrastructure and current economic boom, the surge in Jordanian bank profits looks set to continue. Stephen Timewell reports from Amman.
The current Zambian case not withstanding, most distressed debt traders form a valuable part of the financial system.
The viability of capital markets in African countries is looking more promising, underlined by a successful bond issue denominated in naira by the African Development Bank. Edward Russell-Walling reports.
Algeria has lightened its debt burden and foreign investors at last seem keen to invest in subsidiaries and privatisations, write Jon Marks and Nadine Marroushi.
Ibrahim Al-AssafFinance Minister Saudi ArabiaOil revenues unemployment
Sultan Bin Nasser Al SuwaidiGovernor, United Arab Emirates Central Bank
The Banker heralds the world’s best central bank governors who have stuck to their guns when under fire, whether it be encouraging diversification, controlling inflation or fighting off the governmental propensity for meddling.
Donald Kaberuka, president of African Development Bank, admits that it is folly to expect rich countries to honour their financial commitments to Africa and that investment must be courted if the continent is to move forwards. Interview by James Eedes.
Ahli United Bank’s (AUB) focused regional growth strategy, strong performance and recent strategic acquisitions in Kuwait, Iraq and Egypt make it the most prominent regional player in the Middle East over the past year or more.
Iranian minister of economics affairs and finance Davood Danesh Jafari talks to Stephen Timewell about his country’s privatisation drive, which will see some of its state-owned enterprises offered to the private sector.
The Gulf stock exchanges’ correction this year brought with it a valuable lesson for the region’s investors, banks and regulators.
A ground-breaking survey on corporate governance recommends action to pull the GCC in line with global best practice. Stephen Timewell reports
Ahli United Bank has established a substantial network, which is still growing. Stephen Timewell reports.
History is littered with failed monetary unions so why and how would an Islamic monetary union work? By Joseph DiVanna.
Joseph DiVanna considers how banks offering shariah-compliant products will develop in the future.