Islamic Finance

THE MIDDLE EAST 2011: THE BANKS   By Justin Keay   The current market conditions may have prompted slowing in their expansion plans, but the Middle East’s banks are still building for the future.   Until late 2010, the sentiment ...

WINDS OF CHANGE   These are times of unprecedented change in the Middle East and North Africa. Years of pent-up frustration among the region’s youth—around 60% of the population in some countries—has already swept away two governments. More may follow, ...

THE MIDDLE EAST 2011: DUBAI'S RESURGENCE   By Justin Keay   After a tough two years, Dubai has consolidated its position as a regional financial and transport hub and is set for a sharp upturn.   Anyone arriving on a ...

COVER STORY: MIDDLE EAST   By Laurence Neville   Nervous investors are looking for signs of stability in the Middle East and North Africa. The region’s burgeoning investment banking industry may provide the reassurance they’re looking for.   The political ...

  ISLAMIC FINANCE: ISLAMIC BANKING BY THE BOOK   By Anita Hawser   The growing popularity of Islamic financing and an intensified focus on risk management in the global banking industry are prompting greater awareness of the need for a ...

TRENDS: ISLAMIC FINANCE IN LATIN AMERICA   By Antonio Guerrero   With Islamic financial institutions seeking to expand into emerging markets in Africa and Asia, could Latin America be next?   While Islamic financial institutions have aggressively expanded through Asia and ...

NEWSMAKERS: QATAR   By Anita Hawser   Hussain: Islamic banks must resolve key issues As Qatar kicks off its campaign to ensure it has the infrastructure to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the region's banks are hoping the massive ...

SECTOR FOCUS — ISLAMIC FINANCIAL SERVICES   By Anita Hawser   Calls for standardized regulation of Islamic financial services are growing louder in the wake of the global financial crisis.   Islamic banks emerged from the recent financial crisis with ...

ANNUAL SURVEY: WORLD’S BEST BANKS A selection from Global Finance’s best banks awards from the past year.   BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROVIDERS   BEST DERIVATIVES PROVIDERS   BEST SUB-CUSTODIANS BEST SUB-CUSTODIANS (cont.)   BEST ISLAMIC FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS   BEST TREASURY ...

ROUNDUP   By Gordon Platt   The six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed at a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last month to postpone a planned customs union for several additional years. At the exceptional meeting ...

SPREADING THE WEALTH   Saudi Arabia's industrial base is already the largest in the Middle East, and its service sector is growing rapidly.   By Gordon Platt   With more than 20% of the world's oil reserves, Saudi Arabia stands ...

Roundup   By Gordon Platt   Dubai Mall: Mixed fortunes for Dubai’s property sector Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, has purchased an approximately 15% stake in London's Gatwick Airport, although it would not confirm the ...

MIDDLE EAST   By Gordon Platt   High point: Saudi Arabia dominates region’s IPOs Companies based in Saudi Arabia led initial public offerings in the Middle East in the first half of 2010, but the United Arab Emirates is expected ...

MARKET MAKERS   Exchanges Upgrade Technology And Add New Products   By Gordon Platt   Financial markets across the Gulf region are working hard to enhance the breadth and depth of services they offer.     Financial markets in the ...

ROUNDUP   By Gordon Platt   Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, will place orders for more planes at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK, according to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler. The airline, which is owned ...

ISLAMIC FINANCING BREAKTHROUGH   By Anita Hawser   GAME CHANGER   The arrival of the first globally standardized documentation for privately negotiated Islamic hedging products marks a major breakthrough in Islamic finance and risk management.     Compared to the ...

ON THE RIGHT PATH   By Gordon Platt     For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), there have been setbacks on the road to a common currency, which now appears unlikely to be introduced anytime in the next five years, ...

Roundup   By Gordon Platt   Amman: Jordan government signs deal on oil shale reserves The Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union are aiming to sign a free trade agreement at a joint ministerial meeting in Luxembourg on June ...

FOCUS: ISLAMIC FINANCE IN ASIA   A centralized approach to Islamic finance is helping Asia develop an industry that may challenge the Middle East as the global hub.   By Anita Hawser   The Middle East is often thought of ...

ISLAMIC FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AWARDS 2010   Islamic financial institutions were not immune to the turmoil of the past two years, but their strict ethical code helped them prosper in many areas where others foundered.   By Laurence Neville   The ...