IslamicFinance.de

The Pan-Borneo Highway in East Malaysia, a jumbo project estimated to cost 27 bin ringgit ($9.16 bn), is finally starting to take shape as the federal government prepares to launch initial funding to start the construction. The selected group of banks includes the four top Malaysian lenders: CIMB, AmInvestment Bank, Maybank and RHB. About 60 per cent of the project will eventually be funded with proceeds from ringgit-denominated Islamic bonds to be issued through federal government funding vehicle DanaInfra Nasional. The first batch of bonds, wrapped with a federal government guarantee, is expected to raise around 10 billion ringgit. The launch is timed for August or September.

Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad is marketing five-year US dollar sukuk in the US Treasuries plus 190bp area. CIMB, DBS and Standard Chartered are lead managers for the deal that is expected to price today. The Reg S senior unsecured bonds will list in Malaysia and Singapore under English and Malaysian law. The sukuk will be issued through Danga Capital Berhad, a special purpose vehicle, with the SWF acting as obligor. They will be issued off a multi-currency Islamic securities issuance programme.

Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will start roadshows from Sunday for a potential dollar-denominated sukuk issue for the Jeddah-based supranational institution, a document from lead arrangers showed. The AAA-rated IDB has picked Boubyan Bank, CIMB, Emirates NBD Capital, Gulf International Bank, JP Morgan, Natixis and Standard Chartered Bank to arrange the transaction, the document showed. Investor meetings will start on Sunday in Riyadh before moving to Kuala Lampur on Tuesday and concluding in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Khazanah Nasional Berhad has mandated Barclays, CIMB, Morgan Stanley and UBS to arrange a series of investor meetings for a US dollar sukuk offering. The roadshow will take place in Dubai on Sunday, Hong Kong on Monday, Singapore on Tuesday and London on Wednesday. The Reg S offering will be unrated and issued off the Multi-currency Islamic Securities Issuance Programme established by Danga Capital Berhad. Danga Capital is a special purpose financing vehicle initiated by Khazanah, the sovereign wealth fund of the government of Malaysia.

Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is set to meet fixed income investors starting Sunday ahead of a potential dollar-denominated sukuk transaction. The AAA-rated IDB has picked nine banks to arrange investor meetings in the Middle East and Asia, a benchmark offering will follow, subject to market conditions. CIMB, Dubai Islamic Bank, GIB Capital, HSBC, Natixis, NCB Capital, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, RHB Islamic Bank and Standard Chartered have been chosen to arrange the sukuk sale. IDB, which last issued $1.5 billion in five-year Islamic bonds in September, is looking to increase its issuance of sukuk, partly to raise its profile among international investors and to secure similar pricing levels to other development banks.

The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFI), for which the World Bank acts as treasury manager, plans to sell a dollar-denominated Islamic bond on November 27. IFFI will look to sell a three-year sukuk of benchmark size and pay an interest rate between 15 basis points and 17 basis points over Libor. Qatar's Barwa Bank, Malaysia's CIMB , National Bank of Abu Dhabi , the investment banking arm of Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank and Standard Chartered are arranging the transaction. IFFI is rated AA by Standard and Poor's and AA+ by Fitch.

Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has picked seven banks to arrange meetings with fixed income investors ahead of a potential sukuk issue. The banks are CIMB, Commerzbank, First Gulf Bank, HSBC, Natixis, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Standard Chartered. IDB will hold roadshows in the Middle East and Asia commencing February 23, with a dollar-denominated Islamic bond to follow subject to market conditions. The AAA-rated bank last sold a sukuk in May, when it priced a $1 billion five-year Islamic bond with a profit rate of 1.535 per cent.

Islamic investment firm Arcapita is the first Gulf company to emerge from U.S. bankruptcy under Chapter 11 rules. Arcapita’s plan is to transfer its assets into a new holding company which will dispose of them over time to pay off creditors and gradually wind-down the firm. Arcapita’s creditors include Barclays, CIMB, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered and the Central Bank of Bahrain – its largest creditor with $255.1 million owed.

Clifford Chance advises on largest dual-tranche global sovereign US dollar sukuk
International law firm Clifford Chance has given advice to CIMB, Citi, HSBC and Maybank as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners on the US$2 billion dual-tranche sukukal- wakala transaction for the Government of Malaysia.
The sukuk certificates have been assigned a rating of A- by Standard and Poor’s and A3 by Moody’s.

CIMB Asset Management has launched a monthly newsletter about the Sukuk market:

"Industry practitioners are positive that 2011 will favour the sukuk industry and various indicators show that a delayed resuscitation of the Islamic bond market is on track this year. As economies recover and high crude oil prices help to revive the market, sales of international sukuk are forecasted to grow over USD22 billion this year, which represents a 29 per cent increase from the previous year. The upswing in corporate spending, an increase in issuers seeking funding diversification and improving investor sentiment in the Gulf are also expected to fuel the sukuk market globally.

According to the HSBC/NASDAQ Dubai US Dollar Sukuk Index, the difference between average yields for emerging-market sukuk and the London interbank offered rate narrowed to 282.7 basis points on
6 January 2011 - the least since August 2008. Industry practitioners agree that the low sukuk yield spreads should entice sukuk issuers to tap the market.

Axis Global Islamic REIT is in talks with potential cornerstone investors and will aim to raise around US$700m from a Malaysian IPO in the second quarter. The original plan was to include assets from Japan, Australia and Hong Kong., but this may change as a result of last week’s earthquake and tsunami. CIMB and Standard Chartered are joint global co-ordinators, with Credit Suisse and Maybank as joint bookrunners.

Young working adults can now buy themselves a new home without having to pay anything in down payment.
The My First Home Scheme is launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and will enable them to buy houses costing between RM100,000 and RM220,000 with a repayment period of up to 30 years. The scheme sees the participation of 25 conventional and Islamic financial institutions including major banks like AmBank, CIMB, Hong Leong, Maybank, Public Bank, RHB and Standard Chartered.

At a macro level, it is needed, beyond short term liquidity and risk management, standardisation, scholars, qualified human capital the following:
First, we need to scientifically establish the size and growth rate of the industry.
Second, we need to establish leading and lagging economic/financial indicators for this geographically fragmented market, some will be same as “conventional”, but others will be different, i.e., more emphasis on applied over academic research.
Third, post crisis, deposit taking Islamic banks need to under go a stress test, as exposure to realty is greater, risk and liquidity management is not as robust, issues with deposit insurance, etc., as a confidence building measure.
Areas that need work are: syariah screening, funds, convergence of IF and halal industry, and venture capital (VC).
Suggestions for Malaysia:
There are five FSA approved Islamic banks in the UK, a G20 country, but not one had a Malaysian founding shareholder, and, now, the European wholesale market may have potential for comparable profits to Indonesian retail.

Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has hired CIMB (KUL:COMMERZ), Citigroup (NYSE: C | PowerRating), HSBC (LON:HSBA) and Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) to serve as lead-managers of its planned sukuk offer, Reuters reports today, citing a source at one of the arrangers.
IDB will also launch a roadshow ahead of the dollar-denominated debt issue, according to the source.

Asean member countries must have a minister to promote and champion the grouping’s causes within each country as the region moves towards integration by 2015, CIMB group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Tun Razak said

Sukuk sales in Asian currencies may jump in the next 6 months as companies compare borrowing costs and investors become more willing to accept risk in addition to favorable USD versus local currency credit spreads, according to CIMB.

The Star Malaysia reported on 22 April that CIMB group intends to expand its Islamic banking business in Dubai and Saudi Arabia via acquisitions.

The group via Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd recently acquired a 19.99% stake in China-based Bank of Yingkou Co Ltd.

CIMB group chief executive is Datuk Nazir Razak.

Source: http://biz.thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2008/4/22/b...

Eileen A. Mencias reported in Manila Standard Today on 15 April that the Philippine Government plans a USD 900 - 1000 mn 5-year sukuk through Al-Amanah Islamic Bank to provide a long-term financing package for the acquisition of the Metro Rail Transit-3 project along Edsa to replace bridge finance by the Development Bank Philippines (DBP). First Metro is teaming up with the DBP to arrange the Sukuk bonds. DBP is in the process of taking over control of Al-Amanah Islamic Bank. CIMB and Islamic Development Bank are supposed to assist in structuring.

Juanchito Dispo is executive vice president of First Metro Investment Corp.

Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business2_april15_2008

Joyce Goh reported in The Edge Daily, Malaysia about plans of Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd (BCHB), parent company of CIMB Group, will use its 20% stake in Bank of Yingkou (BOYC) of China as a springboard to expand its business there, particularly latching on its Islamic finance expertise to carve a niche for itself in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. China has a larger Muslim community than China. BOYC is looking to expand to Shenyang — the city in Liaoning province earmarked to be an Islamic finance hub of China. Just three months ago, BOYC received the approval from the Chinese government to transform itself from a local commercial bank into a regional bank, thereby giving it the green light to expand its services in the Liaoning province.