Sectors
The Islamic commercial banking industry has managed to offer, over the the last forty years, an increasingly wide array of products that are able to cater to the needs of majority of the sectors of the economy. Shariah-compliant assets have been growing at a CAGR of at least 15% to reach US$1.3 trillion in 2011.
On the asset side, the segments covered include Corporate and Commercial, Agriculture, Consumer, Commodity Financing, SMEs sector, Treasury & Financial Institutions. On the liability side, the industry offers various deposit schemes such as: current accounts, Basic Banking Account, Savings Accounts, Term Deposits of various maturities, Certificates of Investment etc.
Dedicated institutions are also offering investment banking products and services including Sukuk Arrangement, Financial Advisory, Private Placement, Syndication, Trusteeship, Underwriting, Structured Finance, Listing on Capital Markets, Project Financing, Private Equity, Mergers & Acquisitions, Asset Management, Takaful, etc.
Nowadays, Islamic modes of financing are offered by both Islamic stand-alone institutions as well as conventional players through the so-called windows. This section lists sectors where ASSAIF is particularly active
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Capital Markets - Sukuk
The Islamic debt market has experienced a strong growth not only in the Gulf countries but also in Asia with Malesia at its center and in some Western countries. States, semi-governmental...
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Liquidity Management
Having good liquidity management is a key prerequisite for sustaining financial stability and helping to alleviate any liquidity shortage. At present, Islamic money markets are not well...
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Insurance - Takaful
The Islamic system of insurance is based on mutual cooperation - the word means ‘guaranteeing each other’ - and the sharing of investment profits and net underwriting surpluses. In essence,...
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Microfinance
This is the sector in which Islamic finance contractual structures and Islamic economy values merge. Microfinance is not a new development: Abu Hanifa, for instance, founder of one of the four...
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Asset Management & Indexes
The Sharia-compliant Asset Management industry includes several hundred funds, the Exchange Traded Funds that are experiencing a strong diffusion thank to their flexibility and low transaction...
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Private equity & Venture Capital
Private Equity is a natural fit for Islamic investors since at the core of Shari'ah principles money should be directed to the real economy through investing in businesses that offer ethically...
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Trade finance
Omar Ibn al-Khattab once convened a meeting in Medina to admonish his subjects “for avoiding trading and leaving the markets in the hands of the foreign traders”
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Home financing
The Sharia-compliant 'Real Estate Investment Trusts' have the potential to become a viable investment alternative on condition of having a regulatory framework universally accepted; a Sharia...
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Risk Management & Supervision
Islamic banks are confronted with new and unique risks as a result of their unique asset and liability structures. Hence, they need different risk management approaches and techniques