Here at IFN we strive to bring you the most comprehensive, independent and unbiased coverage of the Islamic finance markets – reporting the facts, however unpalatable they might be. The industry has seen exceptional growth over the past decade and the Islamic debt capital market has transformed from its fledgling status – but that does not mean it does not still have a long way to go. This week, our cover story takes a reality check on the sovereign Sukuk market: reviewing the facts behind the figures, looking at what challenges still exist and exploring what avenues are available to assist new issuers to market.
Our IFN Reports cover the state of the talent pool in the Takaful industry and take a look at the possibility of Niger reviving its Sukuk program, while our case study this week analyzes the latest issue of fixed rate trust certificates from the IDB. Our Sector Analysis looks at the landscape for institutional investments, while our Country Analysis tackles the current situation for Islamic finance in the US. We bring you the usual coverage of the sovereign Sukuk market and our Company Focus this week talks to Kazakhstan’s Islamic Bank Zaman-Bank. Our IFN Correspondents speak to you from Malaysia, Italy, Egypt and Japan and cover various sectors, namely corporate Sukuk, sovereign Sukuk and real estate.
We also have a feature on Islamic finance in the Ivory Coast by Latitude Five, a look at institutional investments by AIIMAN Asset Management, a special report on Islamic REITs by Stuart Jarvis of Amiri Capital, an event report on the GEFF by Suhail Ahmad of Exolta Capital partners and our resident columnist Kavilash Chawla ‘thinks big’ about the law of unintended consequences.
As always, we wish all of our readers an insightful and enjoyable read.