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Barwa Bank held yesterday its Ordinary General Assembly and approved all the agenda of the meeting. The annual general meeting was presided over by the Bank's Chairman and Managing Director Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani. It was held via video conferencing. The focus of the meeting was on completing the full merger process with International Bank of Qatar, in addition to statistics and financial results for the year 2019 as well as the Bank's future plans. The merger took place in a record time that did not exceed 11 months. Barwa Bank recorded remarkable growth, as its total revenue increased by 43% to reach QR3.3bn, while total assets reached QR77bn, supported by financing assets that exceeded QR51bn.

The 8th Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art takes place at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) on November 10 and 11. The Symposium takes place every two years and this year's theme is, 'The Seas and the Mobility of Islamic Art. Panel discussions will take place on subjects such as Islamic Art in 11th-14th century Chinese port cities, Muslim-centred design, and architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Symposium will include an exhibition at the University's Gallery titled 'The Sea is the Limit'. The exhibition will bring together works by international artists who are addressing the issues of refugees, borders, migration and national identity.

Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB) remains focused on digitalisation and utilising financial technology. Bank CEO Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad al-Shaibei sees fintech as the future of banking. QIIB cannot afford to miss out, so it is looking closely at the blockchain technology and ways to partner with fintech companies. The bank is investing significantly in the IT infrastructure and considers Cyber security a top priority. Al-Shaibei plans the opening of new branches at commercial malls across the nation as a natural response to the urban development and customer needs. QIIB is a major stakeholder in Umnia Bank in Morocco, where it has not rolled out all banking products, it is currently going through the regulatory procedures. Umnia Bank is a joint venture among QIIB, Credit immobilier et hotelier and the Moroccan Deposit and Management Fund.

According to Qatar's Finance Minister Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Qatar's Islamic Banking sector is the third largest contributor to global growth in Islamic banking. At the 4th Doha Islamic Finance Conference, the Minister called for continued growth in the Islamic finance sector through concerted efforts to confront financial risks. The Minister noted that Islamic finance accounts for 50% of banking services in the GCC, where most GCC citizens prefer Sharia-compliant banking services. More and more international universities are adopting programs in Islamic finance, including the Master of Islamic Finance at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar. The rapid growth of electronic financial transactions have brought new challenges requiring further cooperation, coordination and discussion. New products require the development of clear frameworks. Al Emadi added that increasing transparency in this field will help Shariah scholars to identify the correct structures and it will enable banks to make these products more attractive.

While still quite new in Pakistan, Islamic banking is moving ahead in all segments of their operations. The network of Islamic banking institutions (IBIs) has expanded. Now it consists of 21 IBIs, five full-fledged Islamic banks and 16 conventional banks having stand-alone Islamic banking branches. IBIs have expanded their branch network to 2,320 branches. The number of Islamic banking windows, operated by conventional banks, is now at 1,255. Islamic banks' assets in overall banking assets were 11.6% at the end of June. Their asset base increased by Rs150 billion, or 8%, during the quarter to stand at Rs2,035 billion. The market share of IBIs in the overall banking industry was recorded at 11.6% and deposits 13.7% at end-June 2017.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has been recognised by Global Finance as the safest Islamic Bank in Qatar and one of the safest Banks in the Middle East. Also, QIB was recognised as the second safest Bank across the banking sector, and the third safest Islamic Bank in the Middle East. Global Finance evaluates the ratings and total assets size of the banks, which were selected through an evaluation of long-term foreign currency ratings from Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch. QIB's Group CEO Bassel Gamal said he was proud to be active contributor to Qatar's growing financial sector and to the country's National Vision 2030. Total assets of the Bank have increased by 9.2% compared to the first half of 2016, and now stand at QR147bn. Income for the first half of this year is QR3.14bn registering 18.4% compared to QR2.657bn for the first half of 2016.

The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) successfully organised a Joint Seminar themed "The Role of Sukuk and Securitisation to Support New Financial Regulations". Ian Johnston, Chief Executive of the DFSA welcomed the IFSB and the Joint Seminar’s participants. He discussed the need for the industry to think laterally to address the shortage of liquidity management tools at Islamic institutions. The panel offered insight into sukuk instruments and the Islamic capital market developments. A panelist mentioned that there is expected to be 70bn USD of new issuance during 2017; however this is not enough to keep up with the projected growth of the Islamic finance industry. To resolve the impediments, the industry needs more standardisation in terms of legal documentation and Shariah interpretations. The Joint Seminar ended with the panel emphasising the need for liquidity generation initiatives to be supported at the regulatory and government levels.

Wadi.com, #Saudi Arabia's home-grown online shopping marketplace, announced a new strategic partnership with one of the kingdom's most trusted banks, Al Rajhi Bank.

Islamic Crowdfunding has the potential to help us change our world for the better. There is an immense variety and scope of applications for crowdfunding. Crowdfunding continues to evolve and in recent years made strides into the investment world. Real Estate Crowdfunding is one of the fastest-growing segments of this booming industry worldwide. The Global Crowdfunding industry is still dominated by the US, but Asia has recently seen strong growth eclipsing Europe as the next-largest Crowdfunding region. The low-entry capital makes it especially accessible to the middle income and small-medium business owners.

Between January-November 2014 , the global primary sukuk market recorded total issuances of USD 114.7 billion, compared to USD 105.7 billion in the same period last year. An important supporting factor for sukuk issuances are the major infrastructure needs in the GCC, South Asia, South East Asia and Africa. Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) globally are working towards full-compliance with Basel III; in this regard, recent sukuk issuances by IFIs in the GCC and Malaysia suggest that Basel III-compliant sukuks are a viable mechanism to meet the enhanced capital adequacy and liquidity standards.

Rajhi Capital has started the offering period for the Al Rajhi Sukuk Fund. The Sukuk fund is an open ended fund designed to capture the opportunities available within the Shariah-compliant universe of sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate Sukuk, issued locally, regionally, as well as globally. The Fund will also invest in other income generating assets, within its mandate comprising of Commodity Murabaha Placements, Islamic Placements, Structured Islamic Products and Commodity Mudaraba Funds. The benchmark of the Fund is 3 month USD LIBOR 75 bps. Al Rajhi Capital is offering a special incentive whereby the subscription fees are waived for all new subscriptions until September 11 2014.

Capital Intelligence (CI), has raised Gulf Finance House's (GFH) Long-Term Rating to 'BB' from 'BB-' and affirmed the Short-Term Rating at 'B'. The Outlook for GFH's ratings reverts to 'Stable' from 'Positive' following the rating action. The ratings reflect the recent successful refinancing and resultant extended debt repayment period. Also supporting the ratings is the significant reduction in leverage in recent years and the moderately improved liquidity position. The factors constraining GFH's ratings are the forced debt restructuring a few years ago, an encumbered asset base, and the small balance sheet coupled with single name and sector concentrations. Also constraining the ratings is the still challenging investment environment.

Islamic economies are set to become more important over the next decade with assets estimated to grow at 15 to 20 per cent a year. There are three powerful forces driving the growth: demographics, devotion and disposable income. Firstly, the Muslim population globally is 1.6 billion, or about 23 per cent of the global population. Secondly, this diverse and dispersed group of people, who span several continents, are drawn together by the devotion to their religion. Thirdly, with the inexorable shift in growth and wealth creation from the West to the East, and the rise in oil prices, the disposable income of this group is increasing. The Islamic economy, on the back of its value system, has the potential to cross religious boundaries and to attract participants with diverse backgrounds who are seeking ethical practices and values in all aspects of commerce-related activities.

Saudi Postal Corporation and Alinma Bank, one of the fastest growing banking institutions in Saudi Arabia, have entered into an agreement with Western Union to offer Western Union money transfer services in the kingdom. Under the agreement, remittance services will be offered through the Ersal money transfer service which is the money transfer joint venture launched by Saudi Post and Alinma Bank in 2013. Starting in Ramadan, the service will be available at 15 post office locations across the kingdom, taking the number of Western Union locations in the country to over 200.

In September last year, Noor issued an invitation to the world to help shape the future of banking, with the launch of its Bank of the Future initiative, aimed at creating innovative ways of banking. As part of the initiative, Noor created an online Shape Your Bank competition to solicit people’s expectations of banks in the future, with prize money of $20,000 for the best idea on enhancing the banking experience. Nurul Iksan from Malang, Indonesia, won the first prize in Noor’s online competition. With the $20,000 in cash, plus an iPad he can begin pursuing some of his business ideas. He will use part of the money to open a fashion shop in nearby Bali. Iksan’s suggestion was to introduce a family account that is held by the head of the family with supplementary cards and limited budgets assigned to all family members. Such a concept has not been implemented in the region yet.

Dubai's Nakheel announced that it issued a USD32.66 million sukuk as part of its restructuring plan. This is the property developer's fourth issuance which brings the total amount issued by the firm to USD1.16 billion. Since November 2009, Nakheel has paid nearly USD2.72 billion to different trade creditors and contractors. Nakheel's first tranche was issued in August 2011, and in January, the company issued a sukuk worth USD32.93 million. Nakheel is going through a USD16 billion restructuring plan.

Azeemeh Zaheer, vice president at the London-based Gatehouse Bank, has called on Saudi businesswomen to invest funds that are kept frozen in banks. According to the expert, with the accumulation of wealth, globalization and openness, women have begun to invest their funds and try to overcome all traditional barriers which limit their (financial) independence. She said women in GCC countries retain more than 300 billion and if 15 percent of that money, or 45 billion, invested in London, it would be a big success for shariah-compliant Gatehouse Bank.

Women are starting to play an increasingly influential role in the family businesses of the Gulf region that account for approximately 90 percent of commercial activity there. As women become more economically independent, the decision-making process has shifted to incorporate women's interests and motivations. However, it is essential that women are fully equipped with the right knowledge, tools and skills. Therefore, Gatehouse Bank has initiated a corporate social responsibility project to promote financial literacy among women in the GCC. The bank shares its skills and knowledge with women in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

According to a recent report by Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the Sukuk market is expected to grow by around 30 percent this year, and Sukuk issuance will grow by 20-30 percent. The Islamic capital market now stands aflush with more than US 230 billion in outstanding sukuk papers. Within the corporate sukuk market, USD 26.8 billion worth of papers or 73.5 percent of total issuances were issued in Malaysia, while US 4.2 billion (11.5 percent) was issued in the UAE and USD 3.4 billion (9.3 percent) was issued in Saudi Arabia, the report concluded.

National Commercial Bank (NCB) has received the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions' approval to become a member of the council. The resolution was made after a meeting in Jeddah. According to secretary-general of the council - Dr. Omar Zuhair Hafiz - the general assembly of the organization has nominated NCB to become a member of the council's board of directors. The bank's membership is likely to contribute to the promotion of the activities of the council through offering a series of innovative Islamic banking services and products.