With rating agency Fitch Ratings recently releasing statistics confirming that Sukuk issuance for the January-April 2017 period was 11% higher (at US$24.1 billion) than total issuance in the corresponding period in 2016, market sentiment is positive. In line with this, the last few weeks have seen a number of banks issuing Sukuk. Bank Muscat issued Sukuk with a value of OMR25 million (US$64.71 million), while Bahrain’s Al Baraka Banking Group has begun meeting investors for its perpetual dollar Sukuk. Elsewhere....