Setting a new standard: 19 pages of intelligence.Welcome to the first issue of Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence (OIFI), designed with a practitioner approach – focused on precise and relevant content for investors, product manufacturers, and fund managers of this truly global community. This free, monthly publication complements Opalesque Islamic Finance Briefing (our daily industry news briefing) and leverages on the success of the Opalesque family of specialized publications (Alternative Market Briefing, A Square, Roundtable Series, etc).
The industry faces great debates in a number of fronts – from market gaps, distribution networks, standardisation initiatives, risk & compliance concerns, to structural question marks. These issues are faced by both current industry players as well as new entrants. A case in point is the recent debate over Tawarruq, with Nikan scrutinizing the matter in our Featured Structure section.
The industry faces great debates in a number of fronts – from market gaps, distribution networks, standardisation initiatives, risk & compliance concerns, to structural question marks. These issues are faced by both current industry players as well as new entrants. A case in point is the recent debate over Tawarruq, with Nikan scrutinizing the matter in our Featured Structure section.
The range of topics is vast - Islamic finance products now extend to all asset classes (from exchange traded funds to private equity vehicles), the industry is ever-evolving in its core markets (the GCC and Southeast Asia) and product cross-pollination with conventional fund houses is an emerging trend. Our maiden edition further provides an overview of Islamic contract law - detailed by Khalil in our Editorial Column. We also debate over the outputs of the transaction: practitioners share their thoughts in our Discussion Forum on the use of conventional benchmarks (i.e. LIBOR) by Islamic banks, whilst Toby Birch of Birch Assets Ltd scrutinizes the industry pitfalls in our Allocator Interview.
Market awareness has skyrocketed in recent years - experts once touted the existence of 60 Islamic equity funds whereas the industry now boasts a universe of well over 700 Shariah compliant investment products. Growth projections usually land between 15 to 20 percent per annum, yet some of the largest Muslim countries (i.e. Indonesia, Egypt and India) remain untapped. A comprehensive product range is unheard of (in stark contrast to the conventional world), yet this bestows the industry with endless prospects. Bernardo sheds light on these by analyzing Islamic fund of funds in our Industry Tables section.
Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence is a free subscription- new readers can register here and make your choice from our menue of eleven specialized publications. (Note that while most of our publications are free, we also offer three premium/paid publications).
Download the first Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence issue here!
(Sorry for the Marketing Spiel, but we wrote it and its free).
Comments, as always, are welcome! JAK!
Download the first Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence issue here!
(Sorry for the Marketing Spiel, but we wrote it and its free).
Comments, as always, are welcome! JAK!
Just a little more marketing:
ReplyDeleteTeam production with Amsar Partners
OIFI has been jointly developed by Opalesque and Amsar Partners, an independent Islamic finance consultancy, which brings together a multi-disciplinary team that includes Bernardo Vizcaino, CAIA, Managing Director; Nikan Firoozye, Ph.D., Director of Shariah Structuring; and Khalil Jarrar, J.D., Director of Jurisprudence. They combine highly regarded financial, academic and research backgrounds with a global industry network. The industry faces great debates in a number of fronts – from market gaps, distribution networks, standardisation initiatives, risk & compliance concerns, to structural question marks. These issues are faced by both current industry players as well as new entrants. A case in point is the recent debate over Tawarruq, with Nikan scrutinizing the matter in our Featured Structure section.
The range of topics is vast - Islamic finance products now extend to all asset classes (from exchange traded funds to private equity vehicles), the industry is ever-evolving in its core markets (the GCC and Southeast Asia) and product cross-pollination with conventional fund houses is an emerging trend. Our maiden edition further provides an overview of Islamic contract law - detailed by Khalil in our Editorial Column. We also debate over the outputs of the transaction: practitioners share their thoughts in our Discussion Forum on the use of conventional benchmarks (i.e. LIBOR) by Islamic banks, whilst Toby Birch of Birch Assets Ltd scrutinizes the industry pitfalls in our Allocator Interview.
Up to 20% growth per annum
Market awareness has skyrocketed in recent years - experts once touted the existence of 60 Islamic equity funds whereas the industry now boasts a universe of well over 700 Shariah compliant investment products. Growth projections usually land between 15 to 20 percent per annum, yet some of the largest Muslim countries (i.e. Indonesia, Egypt and India) remain untapped. A comprehensive product range is unheard of (in stark contrast to the conventional world), yet this bestows the industry with endless prospects. We shed light on these by analyzing Islamic fund of funds in our Industry Tables section.
CONTENT in Detail:
Introduction:
A Primer on Islamic finance Featured Resource: Islamic Finance Resources blog and online community
Featured Structure: Tawarruq: Shariah Risk or Banking Conundrum? Nikan Firoozye, Ph.D.
Manager Interview: Brint Firth, Javelin Investment Management
Portfolio Interview: Four Frustrations of an Islamic Financier: Toby Birch, Birch Assets
Opinion Column: Enforcing Islamic Contracts (Lex Islamicus) in English Courts: Khalil Jarrar, J.D.
Discussion Board: The Use of LIBOR by Islamic Banks
Industry Snapshot: Islamic Fund of Funds, a Rare Breed Bernardo Vizcaino, CAIA