Island kingdom Bahrain has opened a new Islamic exchange house and is launching innovative products to the market, such as an electronic trading platform, in an attempt to capture a bigger share of sharia-compliant assets. Writer Hafsa Kara
Latest articles from Islamic Finance
Islamic finance finds liquidity management solutions
December 10, 2010The launch of an International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation is a step to resolving a long-standing weakness of Islamic finance, but there is still much work to be done. Writer Philip Alexander
Top 500 Islamic Financial Institutions
November 24, 2010The sharp fall in Gulf property markets has dampened confidence in a market that many expected to be relatively immune to the global financial crisis. But sharia-compliant assets are still growing, and perhaps tougher times will encourage a more sophisticated industry.
Opportunities in a sea of caution
November 24, 2010Better product segmentation and a focus on deeply underbanked markets in the Muslim world is the best way for Islamic banks to continue to expand in the context of a slower global economy.
The future of sharia banking
November 24, 2010The aftermath of the crisis has seen the reputation of conservative sharia banking soar. Four experts in the sector look at how this falling into favour is likely to affect sharia finance's short-term and long-term prospects.
Malaysia shows the way forward
November 24, 2010HSBC Amanah's chief executive officer talks to Stephen Timewell about the developments of Islamic finance in Asia and how Malaysia is shaping up to be a key market for HSBC Amanah, and Islamic finance in general.
Strong growth set to continue
November 24, 2010The deputy CEO of HSBC Amanah, Razi Fakih talks to Stephen Timewell about how the bank is balancing its focus between key traditional Islamic finance countries and products, and expanding into less well established areas.
A tale of two centres
November 24, 2010From Hong Kong to London, established global financial centres are looking to reinvent themselves as Islamic finance hubs and capture a slice of a fast-growing and still largely untapped market.
Islamic investment banks face new risks
November 24, 2010In 2008, as conventional investment banks faced huge losses, Islamic investment banks were heralded as the last bastion of conservative, lower-risk investment, insulated by prudent management.
Focus of growth shifts to Asia
November 24, 2010Asia's emergence as the healthiest engine of global economic growth is as evident in Islamic finance as it is in the conventional banking sector. The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region remains the core of Islamic finance, accounting for more than 40% of total sharia-compliant assets.