Middle East Bonds

Islamic finance risks falling behind the conventional capital markets in its support of social development and the real economy including SME financing.

Société Générale has hired Karim El Zein for its Middle East DCM team. El Zein will be based in Dubai.

Sukuk is breaking free of regional boundaries to become an increasingly global market, senior IMF economists have told IFIS. Concentration risk is still one the biggest challenges for the growing market, but they expect the clear benefits of issuing sukuk bring more and more new issuers into the fold.

A grim secondary performance by Goldman Sachs’s debut sukuk has turned the deal into a ready weapon for anyone holding that the Islamic market is not ready for such non-halal borrowers. But despite the performance, Goldman's sukuk will be remembered as the issue that shook the market purists' defences.

The dollar sukuk market is on course for a photo finish with 2012’s record volume, with flydubai pushing forward plans for a debut deal and market participants suggesting volatile macroeconomic conditions have added impetus for another prospective borrower, Turkey.

The dollar sukuk market is on course for a photo finish with 2012’s record volume, with flydubai pushing forward plans for a debut deal and market participants suggesting volatile macroeconomic conditions have added impetus for another prospective borrower, Turkey.

A grim secondary performance by Goldman Sachs’s debut sukuk has turned the deal into a ready weapon for anyone holding that the Islamic market is not ready for such non-halal borrowers. But despite the performance, Goldman's sukuk will be remembered as the issue that shook the market purists' defences.

Hopes have been fading that the sukuk market will see a record level of dollar issuance in 2014, with bankers suggesting that there may be only two or three more international deals to print before the end of December. But with Flydubai setting its sights on an earlier debut launch than previously expected, the year could still be on for a photo finish with 2012.

Flydubai has set its sights on issuing a dollar benchmark deal before the end of November, having pushed forward the six month timetable that bankers close to the deal recently outlined. But like many prospective borrowers, it will hope that Wednesday’s volatile markets are not a lasting feature in the run up to year end.

A grim secondary performance by Goldman Sachs’ debut sukuk has made it a soft target for anyone who holds that the Islamic market is not ready for such non-halal borrowers. But despite the performance, Goldman's sukuk will be remembered as the issuer which debunked the market purists' defences

The Central Bank of Bahrain has received a 385% oversubscribed order book for its latest BD20m monthly sukuk al ijara sale.

Hopes are fading that the sukuk market will see a record level of dollar issuance in 2014, with bankers suggesting that there may be only two or three more international deals to print before the end of December. But, depending on improving market stability, the year could still be on for a photo finish with 2012.