Islamic Finance

MODERNIZATION   By Justin Keay   Back in 1987 the main recipients of foreign direct investment were developed markets, plus some of Asia's miracle economies. Emerging markets barely featured. Today Russia and Poland are in the top 25 along with India, ...

EVOLUTION   By Laurence Neville   Perhaps the defining characteristic of 2012—in contrast to 1987 when Global Finance launched—is the interconnectedness of the world.   Globalization spreads ideas and connects markets Those in the US now have more in common with ...

THE SANDS OF TIME   By Valentina Pasquali   A look at how the fates have dealt with those firms that advertised in the October 1987 inaugural issue of Global Finance.   AT&T was bought by SBC Communications Are your overseas ...

MECHANISMS OF GROWTH   By Antonio Guerrero   Twenty-five years ago, Goldman Sachs' Jim O'Neill was still more than a decade away from coining the acronym BRIC to identify the high-growth markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China—an event which signaled ...

A LETTER FROM KABUL   By Valentina Pasquali   The sense of anticipation is mounting in the Afghan capital of Kabul as the country gears up for a crucial double transition to take place in 2014.   It is the ...

SEEKING MORE-INCLUSIVE GROWTH   By Gordon Platt   After strong economic growth in 2011, the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council are spreading the wealth by putting a priority on non-oil job creation and social welfare.   Photo Credit ...

KUWAIT ORDERED TO PAY DOW CHEMICAL $2.16 BILLION   By Gordon Platt   Kuwait's state-run chemical company must pay the US's Dow Chemical $2.16 billion for wrongfully canceling a planned joint venture in December 2008, as the global economy was ...

NEW SHOPPING LIST   By Justin Keay   GCC sovereign wealth funds and banks are still selectively buying low-value assets in Europe, but higher-growth markets are increasingly on their radar.   When the global financial crisis first hit back in ...

THE POWER OF ONE   By Gordon Platt   Thirty-one years have passed since the six Arab oil-producing countries of the Gulf formed an economic and strategic alliance, following the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war.   Known as the Gulf ...

REIGNING SUPREME   By Kathryn Tully   Global Finance evaluates the Best of the Best Subcustodians in The Winners' Circle: An ongoing look at the top awards winners over the magazine's 25-year history, launched as part of our 25th Anniversary ...

OMAN: CRAFTING A NEW FUTURE   By Gordon Platt   Keenly aware that its vital oil resources are dwindling, Oman has embarked on a major economic diversification program.   Oman's economy has grown steadily in recent years, helped by rising ...

MILESTONES: MIDDLE EAST / US   By Anita Hawser   The ability of US bankruptcy law to handle shariah-compliant structures is being tested after Bahraini firm Arcapita Bank’s decision in March to file for bankruptcy protection in the US.   Business ...

SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUNDS JUMP INTO THE MARKETS By Gordon Platt Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are once again dipping their toes in markets worldwide, even those that saw investments last year grow cold. Saudi power company launches landmark sukuk ...

By Anita Hawser   Best Sukuk Bank Maybank With Malaysia accounting for more than 70% of total global sukuk issued, Maybank spearheaded a number of major deals. For the period under review it recorded 23 deals made up of 133 ...

By Anita Hawser   Gulf Cooperation Council Al Rajhi Bank Considered to be the Saudi Arabian kingdom’s biggest Islamic lender, Al Rajhi Bank matched that credential with one of the best performances among Saudi banks in terms of net profitability. ...

NEW GRAVITATIONAL PULL   By Ryan Harrison   As companies in the region expand globally, their treasury and trade processes are growing in sophistication. As a result, transaction banking is becoming an ever-more-important business driver for both regional and global ...

LANDMARK YEAR   By Anita Hawser   Last year was a landmark year for Islamic finance—innovative new products were launched and new markets opened up that few would have considered likely candidates just a few years ago.   These trends ...

By Anita Hawser   Algeria Banque Al Baraka D’Algérie Saudi-owned, Bahrain-based banking group Al Baraka first ventured into this North African country in the early 1990s. Being the first to offer Islamic banking in the country carries with it a ...

IRAQ HOSTS ITS FIRST ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT SINCE 1990   By Gordon Platt   It was a costly affair. The first Arab League annual summit to be held in Iraq since before Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, it cost the ...

SEEKING STABILITY   By Thomas Clouse, Jonathan Gregson, Antonio Guerrero & Gordon Platt   Global Finance presents its 19th annual awards for the best banks in the developed and emerging markets.   The global financial system is out of the recovery room ...