King & Spalding

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.

Bursa Malaysia

Website: www.bursamalaysia.com

Bursa Malaysia is an approved exchange holding company under Section 15 of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007. A public company limited by shares under the Companies Act 1965, Bursa Malaysia operates a fully-integrated exchange, offering equities, derivatives, offshore facilities, bonds as well as Islamic products, and provides a diverse range of investment choices globally. Bursa Malaysia Securities regulates and operates the securities trading activities in Malaysia, a stock market with more than 900 companies across 60 economic activities. Companies from the economic sectors are listed either on the Main Market for large-cap established companies, or on the ACE Market for emerging companies of all sizes. The exchange adopts the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI values as its main index. 

To promote Malaysia as the international marketplace for Islamic finance, Bursa Malaysia has established an Islamic Markets Division, dedicated to the development of Shariah-compliant capital markets products and trading platforms. Bursa Malaysia’s Islamic Markets offer a wide range of Shariah-compliant products and services including Bursa Suq Al-Sila (BSAS), Shariah-compliant Equities (i-Stocks), Shariah-compliant Exchange-Traded Funds (i-ETFs), Islamic Real Estate Investment Trusts (i-REITs), Sukuk and Exchange-Traded Bond and Sukuk (ETBS).

For more information on Bursa Malaysia, visit www.bursamalaysia.com.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD)

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:

• Financing private sector investment
• Mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and
• Providing advisory services to business and governments. 

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

90 North Real Estate Partners

Website: www.90northgroup.com

90 North is an independent investment advisory firm, specializing in socially responsible real estate investments, and with considerable experience working with Shariah compliant equity partners.

The founders and partners have in excess of 150 years of combined real estate and finance experience and, along with 90 North’s teams in London, Chicago, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, share an absolute focus on protecting and enhancing our clients’ wealth.

90 North identifies and executes real estate investment and development transactions across the UK, continental Europe, the US and Australia recommending only transactions into which we would happily co-invest our own equity.

We seek to build long-term partnerships with investors, based on the alignment of interests, complete discretion, establishment of trust, exemplary client service and delivering results.

Allied Asset Advisors

Website: www.imanfund.com

The Iman Fund is offered by Allied Asset Advisors

The Iman Fund (IMANX) invests in Shariah compliant companies, in response to the needs of Muslim investors, who not only want to have a financially rewarding investment, but a Shariah compatible one as well. Since June 2000, IMANX has provided Muslims with an investment option based on Islamic principles.

Shariah compliance - The fund adheres to Islamic principles. Based on Islamic criteria, the following businesses are generally excluded: alcohol, tobacco, pork-related products, conventional financial services (banking, insurance, etc.), weapons and defense, entertainment (hotels, casinos/gambling, cinema, pornography, music, etc.) The fund does not invest in interest-paying instruments frequently used by mutual funds as overnight or temporary investments, and instead may hold cash on a temporary basis.

Diversification - The fund offers diversification with a portfolio of companies in diverse business sectors.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Website: www.morganlewis.com/

Morgan Lewis has strong experience in advising clients on Shariah compliant debt capital markets, structured transactions and investment fund formations across the Middle East, the US and Europe. Our award-winning team focuses on structuring cross-border Islamic finance transactions particularly where foreign issuers and fund managers are seeking to raise debt or equity from Islamic investors. As such, we have advised clients on complex and innovative transactions across more than 30 jurisdictions including, for example, the first corporate Sukuk issuances out of the US, Luxembourg, Germany and Oman; the first capital protected fund; multiple asset-backed structured notes; as well as a wide range of feeder and parallel fund structures for some of the largest global buyout and real estate fund managers.

We provide innovative advice to international organizations, financial institutions, corporations, investment banks, private equity firms, government entities, and credit agencies on a full range of Shariah compliant investment and financial products. We also have strong relationships with prominent Shariah advisors whether based in the Middle East or beyond.

Morgan Lewis offers more than 2,000 lawyers, patent agents, benefits advisors, regulatory scientists, and other specialists in 28 offices across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information, visit us online at www.morganlewis.com.

DDCAP

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.

IdealRatings

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:

• Equities – A web-based platform covering over 40,000 stocks, where fund managers can screen equities using different, custom-built ESG/SRI/Responsible Investments and Shariah rulebooks or guidelines. This solution caters to different purification calculation methodologies with a comprehensive set of reports for fund managers to manage their portfolio. 

• REITs – Global coverage of all listed REITs that could be screened in accordance with different standard Shariah rulebooks or guidelines. 

• Indexes – Co-branded and jointly marketed by FTSE-Russell Indexes and a separate series with Thomson Reuters for the global markets, designed for fund management and investment benchmarking. In addition, IdealRatings is able to provide custom-built indexes for the fund management industry. 

• Sukuk – A unique solution which includes the global Sukuk and a pioneering Sukuk-screening solution that enables fund managers to customize their Sukuk selection in accordance to their Shariah rulebook, guidelines or investment preference, and 

• Brokerage – The solution provides broking houses the ability to screen global equity markets, a technical analysis of the markets and equities, buy/sell/hold recommendations and purification amounts.

Saturna Sdn Bhd

Website: www.saturna.com.my/

As an asset management firm, we tailor investment programs to our clients’ objectives. We are primarily long-term investors, seeking to preserve and grow clients’ capital over time. With more than two decades of Shariah compliant investing experience, the Saturna group is committed to providing high-value services at low cost.

Their expertise covers US equities & fixed income, global equities & fixed income and ASEAN equities.

Jardine Human Capital

Website: www.jardinehc.com

World Vest Base

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

Islamic Finance news

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

Business Islamica

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.

Capital Business

Website: www.capitalbusiness.me

Alpha Southeast Asia

Website: www.alphasoutheastasia.com

Alpha Southeast Asia celebrated its fifth anniversary as a purely Southeast Asian focused institutional investment and transactional banking magazine in 2011. The magazine has remained steadfast in its coverage of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand).

As a result, the magazine has firmly established itself as the only magazine of choice among institutional investors interested in understanding the region further. Corporate treasurers and chief financial officers in the region have also found our magazine useful given similarities in the ASEAN region. High net worth individuals and white-collar professionals have also found our articles a good alternative as opposed to what is widely available in the mainstream regional press. The magazine remains the only Hong Kong-based regional financial magazine with a dedicated monthly section on Islamic finance.

Funds Global Mena

Website: www.fundsglobalmena.com

Funds global MENA is a leading publication is directed at institutions, fund buyers, distributors and fund managers in the Middle East and Africa, with editorial focusing on industry developments such as sales trends, new asset classes, fund launches, economic outlook and regulatory changes. The magazine is circulated to a worldwide readership of over 14,000.

As well as in-depth editorial features, content includes regular C-suite executive interviews and profiles, ‘talking head’ viewpoints, academic contributions and industry roundtables for fund management and asset servicing.

Funds global MENA forms part of the funds global series of publications looking at the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and MENA regions. Reports are published by the owners of funds europe magazine, which has been reporting on the institutional and retail fund management markets in the UK and Europe since 2002. To request sample copies of funds global MENA and associated publications, please contact Michael Fennessy at Michael.fennessy@fundsglobalmena.com

Lexis Middle East Law

Website: www.lexismiddleeastlaw.ae

Lexis Middle East Law is the definitive research tool for lawyers working in the Middle East. It provides a single point of online access to the laws and cases of the United Arab Emirates in English and Arabic, as well as the commercial laws of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. In partnership with SADER Legal Publishers, the Lexis Middle East Law service is supported by dedicated research and translation teams in Dubai, Beirut and London.  A bilingual editorial team reviews over 300 regional newspapers, magazines and websites (including regulatory bodies and government agencies) on a daily basis to ensure lawyers are kept informed of the latest legal news and developments, including draft laws in the pipeline. The Lexis Middle East Law service provides access to fully consolidated legislation in English and Arabic, while offering the broadest range of legal commentary and practical guidance across a range of practice areas including arbitration, restructuring, project finance and energy. Visit www.lexismiddleeastlaw.ae

Oxford Business Group

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.

The Business Year

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.

The Oath

Website: www.theoath-me.com

the Oath, is the only monthly legal magazine edited in the UAE that dedicates its coverage to this vibrant industry sector across the Middle East.

In its fifth year now, every issue of the Oath acts as the voice of the industry and reaches out to lawyers, legal counsels, C-level business executives and those wishing to keep updated on legal developments in the Middle East region.

The magazine is dominated by news that affects the legal profession, the legislation that affects the wider business community, and the activities that are driving the legislature.