IslamicFinance.de

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.

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.

Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) is expected to obtain a full membership at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in June 2018. At the 8th Compliance & Anti Money Laundering Seminar in Saudi Arabia SAMA Vice Governor Abdulaziz Al-Furaih said several new assessments have emerged including the set of recommendations by FATF and the MENA Financial Action Task Force (MENA FATF). Thomson Reuters Managing Director Nadim Najjar noted that compliance costs are set to increase in 2016.