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Dentons advised #Kuwait's Boubyan Bank on its issuance of $250 million Perpetual Tier one Capital Certificates, which completed on 16 May 2016. The transaction represents the world's first public fully Basel III-compliant Tier one Sukuk, while also being the first ever public Sukuk from a Kuwaiti bank, and the first public Sukuk out of Kuwait since 2007. Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC and Boubyan Capital acted as joint global co-ordinators, together with Emirates NBD Capital, Dubai Islamic Bank, KFH Capital and National Bank of Kuwait as joint lead managers on the issuance of the Capital Certificates. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank and Noor Bank acted as co-managers.

RAM Ratings has assigned an A3/Stable rating to Bank Muamalat Malaysia's proposed Up to MYR 1 billion Subordinated Sukuk Murabahahh Programme. The proposed Sukuk is Basel III-compliant and will qualify as tier-2 capital. The bank aims to continue concentrating on personal and corporate financing this year while de-emphasising its home-financing portfolio, given the competitive mortgage segment. Bank Muamalat has made significant strides in cost savings, which had contributed to higher y-o-y pre-tax profits in 9M FY Mar 2016. Profitability, however, remains weak compared to peers.

Nogaholding, the investment arm of #Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) hosted a dinner to commemorate the signing of the $570 mn Murabahah finance facility. Minister of Energy and Chairman of nogaholding Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza congratulated all the lenders for their support. The ten banks which participated include: Arab Banking Corporation (ABC), Ahli United Bank (AUB), Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), Gulf International Bank (GIB), and National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Kuwait Finance House (KFH), The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFG), BNP Paribas and HSBC. nogaholding’s first syndicated debt facility carries a term of five years. The facility size was increased by more than 60% due to strong demand from participating banks.

The seminar 'The Transformation of the Islamic Finance Industry in Indonesia' was held by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) in collaboration with Financial Services Authority (OJK). President Joko Widodo’s has repeatedly called for the revival of growth in Indonesia’s Islamic finance industry, which is currently being hindered by fragmented regulations. Through this seminar, ICD and OJK aimed to impart the know-how related to the implementation of Shari’ah standards.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed EI Sukuk's updated $2.5 bn certificate issuance programme's 'A+' rating on the basis of the final programme documents received. The Outlook on the IDR is Stable. The rating on the current outstanding certificates is driven by Emirates NBD's (ENBD) Long-Term IDR of 'A+'/Stable. This is due to the Sukuk structure where ENBD, as the guarantor, provides a direct and unconditional guarantee of EI's Sukuk obligations under the transaction documents.

The Board of Directors of Al-Khaleej Takaful Group has agreed to increase the company's stake in Qatari Unified Bureau Insurance to 25 % from 20 % at a cost of QAR 6.75 mn. Al-Khaleej Takaful Group reported net profit of QAR 43.38 mn for the year to end-December 2015, down from QAR 74.4 mn a year earlier. Qatari Unified Bureau Insurance is a limited liability company which provides insurance on vehicles entering the country and sells insurance cards for vehicles travelling outside the country.

The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) announced the completion of a Shari’ah-compliant financing facility for Oil Recovery Services SAL (ORSsal) with operation in Algeria. The annual MENA Energy Investment Outlook Report issued by APICORP stated total planned energy investments in the MENA region will reach $900 billion over the next five years. According to the report, Algeria will invest $8 billion on gas as it focuses on developing its midstream sector as part of the country’s plan to expand total pipeline-network capacity by 30 per cent.

On the 10th anniversary of its presence in the Middle East, Lombard Odier demonstrates its long term commitment to the region by expanding its activities and services in the UAE. The team is also celebrating by moving its office location to the Conrad Business Tower. Patrick Odier, Senior Managing Partner of the Lombard Odier Group, said the bank maintains focus on wealth and investment management for private and institutional clients across the region.

The World Bank Group, the Islamic Financial Services Board and the Republic of Turkey are jointly organising a conference on "Realising the Value Proposition of Takaful Industry for a Stable and Inclusive Financial System" on May 30-31, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. The conference aims to provide a platform for global practitioners and stakeholders in Takaful industry. The current state of the industry will be discussed as well as the evolving nature of the related legal and regulatory requirements in various regions.

On 27 April 2016 Ziraat Participation Bank closed its first Syndicated Murabaha Financing Facility. The debut transaction received a strong response from the market. Due to the significant oversubscription, Ziraat Participation Bank increased the facility size to US$155 mn. CEO Osman Arslan said the proceeds from the facility will be used to support the funding requirements of SMEs and the financing of trade related businesses.

The General Council of Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions launched its Global Forum 'Rethinking Values for Sustainable Growth' in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The Forum was attended by delegates from more than 28 countries. Special keynote guest Dr. Mark Mobius covered expert views on MENA and emerging markets including the impact of oil prices on economies, as well as what structural reforms are required for sustainable growth.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani, the governor of the Qatar Central Bank (QCB), issued operating instructions and governance principals for insurers operating in Qatar. The instructions relate to licensing, regulations and controls, risk management, accounting and actuaries reports. The new law stipulates that listed insurance companies must have capital greater than QAR100 mn or their risk-based capital requirement, while unlisted insurance companies must have capital higher than the figure set by the QCB.

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) is inviting its shareholders to subscribe for new shares, by way of a 1-for-4 rights issue. The Board of Directors resolved on 27 April to increase the issued capital of the Bank by AED 988,437,777 raising the capital of the bank to AED 4,942,188,884. The New Shares will be issued at a price of AED 3.20 per New Share, reflecting the nominal value of AED 1.00 per New Share and a share premium of AED 2.20. The ownership limitation on DIB’s shares remains in place: 51 per cent of the issued share capital of the bank must be owned by nationals of the United Arab Emirates.

Capital Intelligence Ratings announced that it has downgraded the ratings of Tadhamon International Islamic Bank (TIIB), based in Yemen. TIIB’s Financial Strength Rating (FSR) was downgraded to 'B-' from 'B' due to the extremely challenging local operating environment and the attendant risk to the Bank’s financials, and continued pressure on earnings and associated volatility. The Bank’s Long-Term Foreign Currency Rating (FCR) is downgraded to 'C' (from 'C+') due to sovereign risk factors and the operating environment. The Short-Term FCR is maintained at 'C'. All ratings remain on a 'Negative' Outlook.

The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) has organised an IFSB Seminar on Islamic Capital Market themed Supporting Development through Sukuk: Prospects and Initiatives on 10 April 2016 in Cairo, Egypt. This Seminar was held as part of the IFSB Annual Meetings and Side Events 2016, hosted by the Central Bank of Egypt. Sherif S. Samy, Chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority, highlighted the importance of appropriate legal framework to support the issuance of Sukuk. He also emphasised the need for utilising Sukuk as a source of funding for social and infrastructure financing.

Emirates Islamic announced the launch of Social Banking, offering banking services via Twitter, making it the first Islamic bank in the UAE to offer banking services on a social media platform. Faisal Aqil, Deputy CEO, said banking via twitter is especially relevant given the UAE’s advanced social media and mobile phone penetration. Customers will be able to perform select transactions such as balance enquiry, view their last few transactions, and make enquiries about their accounts or credit cards with a simple tweet. To maintain privacy and confidentiality, the bank will only respond to customer queries via a direct message.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the Long Term Issuer Default Ratings (LT IDRs) of seven Saudi Arabian banks. The affected banks are Al Rajhi Bank (ARB), National Commercial Bank (NCB), Riyad Bank (RB), SAMBA Financial Group (SAMBA), Saudi British Bank (SABB), Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) and Arab National Bank (ANB). At the same time Fitch has revised the Outlooks on Saudi Hollandi Bank (SHB), Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB), Alinma Bank (Alinma) and Bank Aljazira (BAJ) to Negative from Stable, while affirming their ratings.

Dr. Mark Mobius, Executive Chairman, Templeton Asset Management, is set to give a Special Keynote address at the CIBAFI Global Forum to be held in Bahrain. Mr Mobius will cover the following topics: Thoughts on how finance can contribute to sustainable growth of the economy; Insights on how financial markets in the global and emerging markets are expected to perform; Expert views on MENA market and the impact of oil prices on economies; Assessment of and what structural reforms are required to spur good growth; The potential growth markets in mid-to- long terms; Lessons for Islamic finance.

Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia (ARBM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Al Rajhi Bank, has received approval from Bank Negara Malaysia for the appointment of Steve Chen Thien Yin as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). As CEO, Steve Chen is responsible for the overall operations of ARBM’s business. He brings along with him more than 25 years of professional experience in Retail, Corporate and Investment banking in growth markets of Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Prior to joining ARBM, he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Corporate and Structured Finance at Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank Berhad.

Islamic finance could contribute to meeting some of the sustainable development goals adopted by the UN General Assembly under its 2030 agenda, said Standard & Poor's Ratings Services in its report "Islamic Finance Could Aid Modestly In Achieving Sustainable Development Goals." Agreed on in September 2015, the UN General Assembly set 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 measurable targets centred on five pillars: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership. Islamic finance could play a role--a modest one at least--in meeting some of the SDGs, particularly those that are in line with the core principles of Islamic finance, according to S&P.