The Banker's Top Islamic Financial Institutions – 2018

Islamic banks are doing well, especially in frontier states, with GCC dominance being challenged by previously underserved regions such as Africa and Asia. 

The Banker's Top Islamic Financial Institutions – 2016

Having tracked the development of Islamic finance for a decade, the latest results in the The Banker's Top Islamic Financial Institutions ranking for 2016 reveal a sector that has enjoyed admirable growth compared with its conventional peers. James King reports.

The Banker’s Top Islamic Financial Institutions 2015 – Methodology

A look at how The Banker compiled the 2015 Top Islamic Financial Institutions ranking.

Islamic finance roundtable: filling the SME gap

Despite high demand for sharia-compliant finance, a lack of expertise and services tailored to SMEs has resulted in significant underfunding of such businesses. Four specialists from the Islamic finance world look at how to make up for this shortfall.

Sukuk increase in popularity but hit compliance issues

There has been a spike in the number of sukuk issued outside the Muslim world. But while demand is up, there remains a significant number of regulatory and operational obstacles in issuing these sharia-compliant bonds.

The brighter Islamic finance picture beyond Iran's woes

The negative growth recorded in the aggregate assets of Islamic financial institutions in this year's survey can almost entirely be attributed to a collapse in the value of the Iranian rial. When delving further into the data, a much more healthy picture emerges.

Digital leaders emerge in Islamic finance industry

The reputation for conservatism among Islamic financial institutions does not extend to the world of digital banking, where many of its leading players are showing an innovative streak that matches anything coming out of their conventional peers.

Islamic finance targets Indonesia and Africa

The large unbanked Muslim populations of Indonesia and Africa present a huge opportunity for Islamic financial institutions, with Africa's infrastructural shortfall providing a particularly fertile ground for the sukuk market.

Bursa Malaysia's Islamic innovation drive

Bursa Malaysia is the leading global centre for Islamic capital markets. Its chief executive tells James King that the exchange is still looking to innovate, with expanding the borders of Islamic finance a key priority.

Sukuk sheds its niche status

The growth of 'hard' currency sukuk issuance is pushing the market to the next level, as new issuers and new investors flock to the sharia-compliant finance space to capitalise on the growth prospects of emerging economies in the Gulf and Asia. 

Islamic banks take on Basel III

Four leading representatives discuss the impact of Basel III on the Islamic banking industry, what benefits the regulations will bring and why Islamic banks are well positioned to meet the requirements. 

Onwards and outwards: the Islamic industry's appeal continues to spread

The past year has seen a number of firsts in the Islamic finance industry, including the first sovereign sukuk from the West. This represents a huge step forward for an industry previously considered niche. Islamic players now must consolidate on these gains by broadening their product offerings, expanding their customer bases and targeting new levels of interoperability with global markets.

Malaysia leads the way for Islamic finance

While the growth in Islamic finance slowed down in 2013 for some smaller, less-developed markets, others such as Malaysia and the Gulf countries, saw strong results.

Islamic banks and SMEs: a golden opportunity

Though the recent story of Islamic finance is largely a successful one, the sector's relative lack of maturity means that some shortfalls do exist. One of these – the supply-demand mismatch regarding small and medium-sized enterprises – has left a potentially lucrative hole to fill. 

Noor CEO's big ambition for Islamic finance

Hussein Al Qemzi, group chief executive officer of Noor Investment Group and CEO of Noor Islamic Bank, believes that Islamic finance has the potential to evolve beyond its niche market and become the globally accepted norm in banking. But before it can do this, it must diversify its products and services, as well as achieve greater standardisation.