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The Islamic finance industry is climbing to new heights on the back of strong global demand for sustainable and socially responsible investments. According to the fifth edition of the Islamic Finance Development Report and Indicator, the growth of the industry is unabated despite an economic slowdown caused by the decrease in oil revenues. The report is the result of a joint research made by Thomson Reuters and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD). Mustafa Adil, Head of Islamic Finance at Thomson Reuters, says that Islamic finance can serve as a strategic tool for policymakers to cope with the slowdown, especially in the Middle East. The report estimates that the Islamic finance industry will reach a global asset volume of $3.8tn by 2022, up from $2.2tn at the end of 2016, which translates into an expected compound annual growth rate of 9.5%. The leading country remains Malaysia and the leading region the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

According to the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), Islamic finance assets are projected to reach $3.8 trillion by 2022 from $2.2 trillion in 2016. In cooperation with Thomson Reuters, the ICD released its new report on Islamic Finance. In the report Bahrain features prominently among all GCC countries and second globally behind Malaysia. Bahrain is at the forefront of providing access to Islamic finance in addition to promoting it via education and financial literacy initiatives. The Central Bank of Bahrain recently released a new Shariah governance module which is impacting the Shariah compliance and governance standards of Islamic banks. Also, Bahrain continues to invest in technology and capitalize on the development of the ICT sector.

Almost half of Qatar’s outstanding sukuk, worth of over QR25bn, will mature in 2018. With the ongoing growth of Shariah-compliant institutions, new issuances are vital. If no sukuk are issued in the country to replace the maturing ones, Shariah-compliant investors might look to other sukuk investments outside Qatar. According to the joint research of Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Thomson Reuters and Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), retail sukuk remains an untapped segment in most of the countries in GCC. Qatar can capitalise on selling sukuk to the retail market to promote both the primary and secondary capital market. Financial institutions have been leading corporate issuance in the GCCIn Qatar, Ezdan Holding Group is the only corporation outside financial institutions to issue sukuk. Ijarah continues to be the most popular sukuk structure in Qatar. However, Qatari corporate sukuk have all been issued based on wakalah structure, which has been gaining popularity in the recent years.

Thomson Reuters and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) released the Islamic Finance Development Report and Indicator (IFDI) at the World Islamic Banking Conference 2017 held in Bahrain. The report studied key trends across five indicators: Quantitative Development, Knowledge, Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Awareness. The IFDI global average value recovered to 9.9 in 2017 from 8.8 in 2016. This reflected improved performances in each area. Malaysia, Bahrain and the UAE lead the IFDI country rankings for the fifth consecutive year, while the GCC remains the leading regional hub for the industry. The report also highlights how Islamic finance can help countries adapt to difficult economic conditions.

The Islamic Finance Development Report and Indicator (IFDI) 2017 was presented at the 24th World Islamic Banking conference 2017 held from December 4 to 6 in Bahrain. The report was commissioned by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and put together by business intelligence provider Thomson Reuters. The report uses five indicators to measure the development of the $2.2tn Islamic finance industry, which are quantitative development, knowledge, governance, corporate social responsibility and awareness. This year, Malaysia, Bahrain and the UAE kept leading the IFDI country rankings for the fifth consecutive year, while the GCC remains the leading regional hub for the industry. Oman remained unchanged on rank four, while Saudi Arabia dropped two notches to rank seven, and Jordan, Qatar and Indonesia fell one notch each to ranks nine, ten and eleven. The big newcomer is the small Southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei, which made a jump from rank 14 to rank 9.

Thomson Reuters will provide Alinma Bank with a Shariah-compliant application. It will fully automate deal workflow for Shariah-compliant financial transactions. The application provides a real-time view of Shariah-compliant deals, through an automated online system that minimizes the process of tracking transactions. Alinma Head of Treasury, Abdullah Al Zahrani, said that he was pleased to be the first bank in Saudi Arabia to partner with Thomson Reuters to bring innovative solutions to the Shariah-compliant banking. Nadim Najjar, Managing Director for MENA at Thomson Reuters, said this innovative application would automate the validation process and offer a seamless digital solution for the industry.

A Chartered Accountant and Tax Administrator, Mr. Bicci Alli has said that the federal government as well as states cannot shun Islamic financial instruments whose market is valued at over $2.6 trillion, because it has the capability to bridge the infrastructure deficit in the country.
The federal government is presently looking for financial and legal advisers and trustee firms to organise its first Islamic bond in the domestic market, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said on Monday. Nigeria is working on a debut sovereign sukuk but has yet to determine the size of a potential deal. Issuance of a sovereign sukuk is part of a plan by Nigeria’s debt office to develop alternative sources of funding and to establish a benchmark curve.

According to the Islamic Finance Development Indicator (IFDI), global Islamic finance development declined to 8.8 in 2016 from 9.9 in 2015. The report was prepared by Thomson Reuters and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and was released at the World Islamic Banking conference (WIBC) 2016. Malaysia, Bahrain and the UAE continue to dominate the IFDI report for the 4th consecutive year. However, Malaysia posted a slight decline in its overall IFDI performance in 2016. Outside of the top 15, noteworthy emerging countries that have moved up the IFDI rankings are South Africa, Morocco, Tanzania, Japan and Russia. Among the regions with high potential in Islamic finance is West Africa. Unprecedented oil price storm hindered Islamic finance performance, but not asset growth. Despite lower financial performance, Thomson Reuters maintains a positive outlook for the industry projecting Islamic finance assets to reach $3.5 trillion by 2021.

The sukuk market is struggling to recover from last year’s dip in issuance and it could take years for supply to return. According to a recent Thomson Reuters report, issuance of sukuk is down 18% for the first nine months this year compared with the same period last year, while the year-end figure could exceed $50 billion. Issuance is estimated to gradually recover over the next few years to $54 billion in 2017 and $59 billion in 2018, but this is well below the record $134 billion seen in 2012. This is largely due to the lasting effects of Malaysia’s central bank decision to stop issuing short-term sukuk in 2015. The survey found that Sukuk still lack active secondary markets while governments have yet to incorporate them into their debt management strategies, steps which could increase their appeal.

According to the Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Development Report 2016, Bahrain leads the GCC’s Islamic finance development for the fourth consecutive year. The report is jointly produced by Thomson Reuters and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD). Bahrain ranks first globally in terms of Governance due to its well established regulatory environment and governance mechanisms. The regulations cover Islamic financial institutions including Islamic asset management and Sukuk. Bahrain is among the top ten countries for the other indicators as well. For the Knowledge indicator, its Islamic finance ecosystem is supported by 17 providers offering Islamic finance related education including universities and institutions. Meanwhile, its Islamic financial institutions continue to contribute socially, with US$ 18.5 million charity, zakat and Qardh al Hasan funds disbursed in 2015.

Thomson Reuters has released the findings of its fifth consecutive Sukuk Perceptions and Forecast study. Despite a bleak 2015, market players remained hopeful for a robust year ahead. Core markets have adapted to ongoing low oil prices, while apprehension over expected global interest hikes has begun to subside. However, the decision from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to cut short-term Sukuk issuances continues to dampen Sukuk supply. Total Sukuk issued in the first 9 months of 2016 dropped further by 18.46% to $39.8 billion from $48.8 billion for the same period in 2015. According to Thomson Reuters' Managing Director, Nadim Najjar, the global Sukuk market continued to drop in terms of volume and value during 2016. The report found that both potential demand and supply of Sukuk are expected to grow, with demand substantially exceeding supply until 2021.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Thomson Reuters have announced the three finalists for their Ethical Finance and Innovation Challenge and Awards (EFICA). The three finalists will present their entries at the fourth edition of the awards ceremony that will take place on 26th of October, 2016 in Dubai. The Ethical Finance Initiative Award carries a $100,000 prize, and is for innovative solutions or initiatives that promote ethical practice in the financial services industry. The three finalists are: EthisCrowd, as the world’s first Islamic Real Estate Crowdfunding platform, LaunchGood, as the world’s leading crowdfunding site for Islamic Finance and the Islamic Finance Institute of Southern Africa’s micro finance initiative in Indonesia. The EFICA Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at the event.

A report titled 'Developments and opportunities in Islamic-themed television and online video content' identifies 188 Islamic-themed television and online channels globally. The report is produced by Thomson Reuters and Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) in partnership with DinarStandard. It identifies the main Islamic-themed broadcast media markets in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) 57 member countries. OIC markets generated a total of $10 billion in advertising revenue during 2015. According to Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIEDC, this report is proof of the sustainability of Islamic values that endure the test of time. Haroon Latif, director of Strategic Insights at DinarStandard, said that Muslim viewers were a key customer segment in the Culture and Recreation sectors. He added that there were significant untapped opportunities across genres in Islamic-themed media.

If we look back at the emergence of the Muslim Lifestyle markets as a global phenomenon, we can see an interesting pattern developing. From 2004 - 2007, Malaysia was the epicenter of the Halal movement, bringing the terms ‘Halal market’ and ‘Halal industry’ into the global business vocabulary. Bidding to become a global Halal hub, the development of their Halal food sector made Malaysia a role model for other countries looking to position themselves in this fast-growing marketplace. Abdalhamid David Evans, Founder, HalalFocus.net/ImaratConsultants.com, will be speaking about this topic at the Muslim Lifestyle Expo 2016 in Event City, Manchester on the 30 October 2016.

According to a new report by Thomson Reuters, Islamic finance assets grew by 10% to reach $2 trillion in 2015. Islamic banking represented 73% of these assets, followed by sukuk which represented 17%. The increase in assets was driven by strong growth in all sectors - Islamic banking, takaful, outstanding sukuk and net value of Islamic funds. Islamic finance assets are projected to grow to $3.2 trillion by 2020, with Islamic banking reaching $2.6 trillion. The report added that the sukuk market on the other hand has struggled in the past couple of years due to the global economic uncertainty. Total issuance is expected to be around $70 billion by end of 2016.

A report launched by Thomson Reuters on Friday -- called "Indonesia Islamic Finance: Prospects for Exponential Growth" -- says the country's shariah finance industry recorded 559 trillion rupiah ($42.3 billion) in assets as of 2014, merely 3% of the country's financial industry assets overall. However, while the total financial sector's assets grew by 42% during the 2010-2014 period, assets for shariah finance surged by 139%. Boosted by government infrastructure spending and road maps for development of shariah finance, Indonesia's Islamic finance sector is expected to record double growth over the next five years.

Thomson Reuters and the Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) have unveiled a major study, the Canada Islamic Finance Outlook 2016, during the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) held in Bahrain. Canada is looking to position itself as the regional hub for Islamic finance in North America. Its main competitor in the region, the United States, is a much larger market overall, but Canada has a proportionately larger Muslim population. This advantage is coupled with an arguably more favourable federal regulatory regime and an outward looking orientation that is potentially more favourable and conducive to the growth of Islamic finance.

Thomson Reuters and Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) have released the key findings of the Islamic Finance Development Indicator (IFDI) Report 2015. The report examines the key statistics and trends across five indicators that are deemed to be significant for measuring the development of the US$1.8 trillion Islamic finance industry. These include Quantitative Development, Knowledge, Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Awareness. According to the report, Malaysia leads IFDI again while GCC countries continue to dominate the top of the rankings for a third year in a row.

Thomson Reuters in partnership with Barwa bank released today the findings of its fourth consecutive Sukuk Perceptions and Forecast study. A buoyant 2014 had sukuk market players optimistic for another robust year but market uncertainty, especially with the drop in oil prices and the expected increase in global interest rates, have dampened activity in the market. The global sukuk market in 2015 welcomed significantly fewer new issuers compared to 2014. Total sukuk issued in the first 9 months of 2015 dropped a drastic 38.6% to $48.8 billion from $79.5 billion for the same period in 2014. The sukuk papers were a lso issued in 12 currencies in first nine months of 2015 compared to 16 over the same period in 2014.

Global Islamic finance assets had an estimated value of $1.8 trillion in 2014 and are expected to almost double by 2020 to reach $3.2 trillion, according to the ICD Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Development Indicator.

The projections come ahead of the 2015 World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC 2015), which will be hosted by Thomson Reuters, the world's leading provider of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, and The Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), an affiliate of the Islamic Development Bank Group.