Abdul Aziz A Al-Yaqout - Regional Managing Partner, Middle East, DLA Piper
Abdulkader Thomas - Chief Executive Officer, SHAPE Financial
Emad Al Monayea - Board Director & CEO, Kuwait Finance House Investment
Issam El-Tawari - Chairman & Managing Director, Rasameel Structured Finance Company
Isam Salah - Partner, King & Spalding
Patrick Rochette - Principal Representative -Dubai Representative Office, Bank of London and The Middle East
Website: www.rasameel.com
Rasameel Structured Finance Company (Rasameel) was established in January 2006 as a Kuwaiti shareholding company (closed) with an authorized and paid-up capital of KWD30 million (US$106.51 million).
Operating out of Kuwait and Dubai, Rasameel is focused primarily on capital markets which are the core of today’s financial system, providing funding sources and investment opportunities to participants on an increasingly interconnected global scale. The constant evolution of the capital markets provides dynamic opportunities to those seeking funding and those seeking investments for a wide range of risk and return preferences. The GCC economies are part of the global capital markets but a significant and growing percentage of GCC companies and investors are insisting that their participation in the capital markets must be Shariah compliant.
The areas in which Rasameel can assist clients include general Sukuk (Ijarah, Mudarabah, Murabahah, Musharakah), asset securitization, infrastructure financing, principal and secondary market trading, asset origination procedures, asset due diligence analyses, asset pricing, asset repackaging, asset management, investment advisory, direct investment, private equity, proprietary trading, merger and acquisition, and capital structure advisory.
Website: www.icd-ps.org
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) is a multilateral development financial institution and is part of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group.
The ICD was established in November 1999 to support the economic development of its member countries through the provision of finance for private sector projects, promoting competition and entrepreneurship, providing advisory services to governments and private companies and encouraging cross-border investments.
The ICD has an authorized capital of US$4 billion. Currently, the shareholders of the ICD are the IDB (50%), 53 Islamic countries (30%) and five public financial institutions (20%).
ICD mandate and objectives
The ICD fosters sustainable economic growth in its 53 member countries by:
The ICD selects the financing projects based on their contribution to economic development considering factors such as job creation, Islamic finance development, contribution to exports, etc. The ICD also provides advisory services to governments and private sector groups on policies designed to encourage the establishment, expansion and modernization of private enterprises, the development of capital markets, best management practices and to enhance the role of the market economy. The ICD operates to complement the activities of the IDB in member countries.
The ICD is rated ‘AA/FQ’ by Fitch Ratings, ‘Aa3/P-1’ by Moody’s Investors Service and ‘A+’ by Standard & Poor’s.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tel: (966-12) 6361400; (966-12) 6441644
Fax: (966-12) 644 4427
Email: icd@isdb.org
Website: www.icd-ps.org
Website: www.kslaw.com
King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 30 years experience advising clients globally on Islamic finance. Consistently ranked among the best in the world, the firms global Islamic finance and investment practice includes nearly 30 lawyers and professionals in offices across Europe, the US and the Middle East.
In Europe, the firm is recognized as a leader in structuring and advising on Shariah compliant real estate financing and investments, as well as advising various international investment banks in their capacities as arrangers in debt capital market transactions, particularly Sukuk issuances. In the US, the firm is widely acknowledged as the firm of choice for Shariah compliant investment and financing transactions. In the Middle East, the firm leads in the formation of investment funds across a range of asset sectors, and the innovative fund structures it has developed to deal with local ownership and financing restrictions are now precedents followed by the industry. The firm maintains a leading role in handling debt capital markets work, in particular Sukuk issuances for issuers and lead arrangers across the Middle East and Turkey.
Website: www.tamimi.com
Al Tamimi & Company is the largest law firm in the Middle East with 17 offices across nine countries. The firm has unrivaled experience, having operated in the region for over 25 years. Our lawyers combine international experience and qualifications with expert regional knowledge and understanding.
We are a full-service firm, specializing in advising and supporting major international corporations, banks and financial institutions, government organizations and local, regional and international companies. Our main areas of expertise include arbitration and litigation; banking and finance; corporate and commercial; intellectual property; real estate; construction and infrastructure; and technology, media and telecommunications. Our lawyers provide quality legal advice and support to clients across all of our practice areas.
Our business and regional footprint continues to grow, and we seek to expand further in line with our commitment to meet the needs of clients doing business across the Middle East. For more details on the firm, please visit www.tamimi.com.
Website: www.asarlegal.com
Al Ruwayeh and Partners (ASAR) is the largest law firm in Kuwait and one of the largest in the Middle East. ASAR has a leading corporate and commercial law practice with a focus on, among others, Islamic finance, banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, restructurings and corporate and commercial transactions. ASAR has been involved in some of the most innovative and complex local and cross-border transactions, thus enabling us to garner uniquely rich and diversified knowledge and experience.
Practising in jurisdictions where in-depth knowledge of the legal regimes and practical experience invariably go hand in hand, we are particularly proud of our unrivaled jurisdictional knowledge and experience. While being known for our exceptional quality of work, we simultaneously distinguish ourselves by offering constructive, commercial and pragmatic advice as opposed to dwelling on technicalities. Simply put, we provide our clients with practical legal advice that makes perfect business sense.
Website: islamicbankingintelligence.com
Website: www.aayan.com
A’ayan Leasing & Investment Co is a Shariah compliant and KSE-listed company established in December 1998 with a capital of KWD20 million (US$69.71 million) by Kuwait Finance House, Ali Alghanim and Sons Automotive Co, Mohammad Yousef Al Roumi, Wafra Investment Co, Shireen Investment Co and other individuals and institutions; today it has a capital of KWD81.4 million (US$283.73 million). Based in Kuwait, it has spread its wings throughout the years with investments and activities in the GCC and the Arab World. Today A’ayan is mainly involved in investment and auto leasing.
A’ayan Kuwait Auto Co was established as a subsidiary of A’ayan Leasing & Investment Co with the purpose of selling, buying, and leasing cars. A’ayan has maintained leadership in operational leasing due to dedicated efforts to complete leasing activities that include insurance and maintenance services and reselling of returned leased assets to secondary markets, through our used cars selling outlets such as Mudalala, in addition to other selling outlets within Kuwait and abroad.
Website: www.candor-holdings.com/
Candor Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd (CAM) is a company incorporated in Sri Lanka and licensed by the Securities & Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka to manage unit trust funds and discretionary portfolios. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eagle Proprietary Investments Limited (EPIL) a Dubai International Finance Corporate (DIFC)-based globally diversified direct investment firm with core focus on the financial industry and its supporting sectors.
CAM’s fund managers boast of superior track records in the Sri Lankan unit trust and asset management industries and bring decades of experience to the company. CAM’s investment philosophy is based on in-depth fundamental research, long-term focus and strong price discipline. CAM relies on strong local knowledge and experience in the Sri Lankan equity and debt markets. The company currently manages the country’s best performing Shariah unit trust fund which has returned 10.99% for the year ended 31st December 2013.
Website: www.ddcap.co.uk
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in London, with an office in Dubai and a presence in both Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, DDCAP provides asset facilitation services to over 300 financial sector clients worldwide.
DDCAP is majority-owned and controlled by IPGL, a private holding company with an interest in a number of financial services companies. IPGL is also a significant shareholder in NEX Group (previously ICAP), a leading markets operator and provider of post-trade risk mitigation and information services.
DDCAP has an extensive track record within the Islamic finance industry, employing over 35 professionals with broad and complementary skill sets drawn from diverse financial industry backgrounds.
DDCAP has its own Shariah supervisory board comprising esteemed Shariah scholars from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Kuwait.
DDCAP recently announced the launch of its multi-award-winning Shariah compliant ETHOS Asset Facilitation PlatformTM, a bespoke, real-time trade and post-trade services platform providing 24-hour coverage, enabling clients worldwide to purchase from a diverse asset inventory, including commodities, via a secure, web-based portal.
Website: https://www.dlapiper.com
DLA Piper is a leading global, business law firm. We provide legal services to clients across key industry sectors including banking and financial services, real estate and construction, technology and healthcare. We understand the global importance and impact of Islamic financial services, and remain committed to supporting our clients wherever they do business. Our international reach and integration means that DLA Piper can handle Islamic finance matters originating in all of the major financial centers. Our lawyers have significant experience in acting for Islamic and conventional clients involved in the Islamic finance industry (including financial institutions, corporates, funds, market regulators and other government entities). For further information please visit www.dlapiper.com.
Website: https://www.eigertrading.com
Eiger Trading Advisors (Eiger) is a UK-based asset-trading and technology company founded in 2008, which specializes as an intermediary in Islamic financial products.
As a leading intermediary and technology provider within the commodity Murabahah space, Eiger has the unique capabilities to deliver Shariah compliant commodity trading solutions through the Eiger Trading Platform (ETP), a web-based trading system, that we tailor to our bank clients’ exact operational requirements.
The ETP automates the structuring and execution of Islamic banking products for wholesale and retail commodity-backed transactions, including two new enhanced modules:
Eiger is authorized and regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, and is both a member of the London Metal Exchange and an associate of the London Platinum and Palladium Market.
Website: www.idealratings.com/
IdealRatings was incorporated in 2006 in San Francisco with a corporate objective to provide SRI/ESG and Shariah compliant solutions to ethical investors and enable them to identify such instruments across different asset classes in the global market. IdealRatings serves clients in over 30 countries with a range of capital market solutions including:
Website: www.parisian-advisor.com
Parisian Real Estate Advisor (Parisian Advisor)’s ambition is to be the leading French real estate advisor for Middle Eastern investors. Parisian Advisor is an entrepreneurial firm with a capital of EUR1 million (US$1.06 million). In addition, the company is affiliated to the French asset management firm La Française AM belonging to the French bank group, Crédit Mutuel. La Française Group holds 35% of Parisian Advisor and has been a key French player in securities and real estate asset management for over 40 years. The group currently manages over EUR48 billion (US$51.03 billion) including EUR10 billion (US$10.63 billion) in real estate assets.
Based on a tailor-made approach, Parisian Advisor offers a full range of services covering the entire investment chain, from pre-acquisition to post-acquisition stages including sourcing, fund structuring, financing, asset management and property management.
Our track record with La Française includes successfully forming the first French-regulated OPCI, or French-regulated non-listed REITs, that respect Islamic finance rules, on behalf of the first Islamic bank of Kuwait.
Website: www.wvb.com
World Vest Base provides a broad range of informational products directed at institutional investors, universities, bankers, analysts, tax and audit practitioners, government agencies and asset managers, M&A, private capital, equity and fixed income markets.
The company’s latest offering includes the WVB Shariah Compliance Ratings which is a relational database of financial, statistical and market information on active and inactive global companies.
The database covers 153 countries with over 44,600 active listed companies and 30,000 inactive companies. This covers approximately 99% of all listed companies and a global market capitalization of almost 100%.
WVB data is based on the country of incorporation. It describes a company as a legal entity, not individual issues or listings and offers complete documents with indexed financial transparency to the data.
For more information, visit www.wvb.com
Website: www.islamicfinancenews.com
Islamic Finance news is the industry's leading, capital markets focused, e-newsletter bringing you unrivalled editorial coverage every week on the global Islamic financial market.
This weekly newsletter provides insightful and intelligent editorial coverage from around the world helping you keep ahead. In addition to a comprehensive weekly review of all the stories from around the globe, interviews, forums, market statistics and data, key industry practitioners contribute via non-biased, educational and up-to-date country and sector reports, giving you a firsthand knowledge and understanding of the Islamic finance markets and instruments from an experts' point of view.
For a trial subscription, please contact +603 2162 7800 or email subs@IslamicFinancenews.com
Website: businessislamica.com/
Launched in November 2006, Business Islamica is the first monthly magazine of its kind in the UAE, specifically covering all aspects of Islamic business and finance, both regionally and internationally.
The magazine’s objective is to spearhead awareness initiatives, heighten knowledge of its core principles and practices, as well as to feature the latest developments in this industry.
Our editorial covers interviews with key industry leaders, case studies, and includes features on a wide range of topics such as; Islamic Banking, Wealth Management, Takaful (Islamic Insurance), Islamic Retail Finance, Marketing and Branding of Shari’ah-Compliant products, Regulatory Issues, Islamic Business Challenges and Risk Management.
Website: www.capitalbusiness.me
Website: www.alfi.lu
Website: www.blassys.com/
Website: www.eyeofriyadh.com
Website: www.financialplaces.com/
Website: www.insideinvestor.com/
Inside Investor is an international media company, event organizer and business consulting company with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Hong Kong and Barcelona. It provides business information and data that enables investors at all levels to identify investment opportunities in key emerging markets based on a highly comprehensive portfolio of information and services through multiple platforms; including printed investment reports and events.
Inside Investor also operates a news portal (www.investvine.com) and an online business matching platform (www.insideinvestor.com) that allows private and public institutions to share their interests and to take advantage of opportunities while balancing benefits against risks in order to maximize the success of their ventures.
Inside Investor has built an ever-growing influential global network of key business personalities, senior executives and government officials up to the highest level, and acts as a catalyst between these decision-makers to assist in identifying bilateral business opportunities.
Website: www.marketsandmarkets.com/
Website: www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/
Oxford Business Group (OBG) is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm, which publishes economic intelligence on the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
OBG offers a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral developments, including banking, capital markets, energy, infrastructure, industry and insurance.
The group’s acclaimed economic and business reports are the leading source of local and regional intelligence, while its online economic briefings provide an up-to-date in-depth analysis. OBG’s consultancy arm offers tailor-made market intelligence and advice to firms operating in these markets and those looking to enter them.
Website: www.rnrmarketresearch.com/
Website: www.inovatifmedia.asia
Website: www.thebusinessyear.com/
The Business Year (TBY) is a global media group specializing in economic news, research on national economies, and business intelligence across emerging markets. With operations in over 35 countries, we bring first-hand insights to investors, businesses, and governments worldwide.
Website: voicesofleaders.com
Voices of Leaders (VL) is a global business network for top executives and companies to Meet, Share and Grow locally, regionally and internationally.
The data-driven business profiles allow you to Meet top executives across a wide variety of industries, sectors and countries. Share your business needs among members looking for specific business opportunities and Grow your business network at a local and international level, while increasing the possibility of creating synergies, and finding partners and investors.
VL is committed to giving leaders from around the world a voice and in response to the demands of the digital age, VL produces interactive ebooks on the countries visited and the networking events it covers.
Website: www.worldcsrday.com
The WORLD CSR DAY is guided by Leaders.... Leaders who believe in the value of Sustainable CSR; that which is built in the fabric of business - making it a reality. Leaders produce Leaders will be a common thread uniting nations and people who take CSR more responsibly. They also believe that CSR is a tool to the Development of the Future. Leaders, Professionals, CSR Practitioners, CEOs, Sustainability Experts and Media honchos in different parts of the world will help in spreading the message of World CSR Day. Let’s Unite the World with the Spirit & Energy for conscious CSR. (www.worldcsrday.com)
