MARKET FOCUS: MIDDLE EAST INVESTMENT BANKING
By Gordon Platt, Global Finance Magazine
The Middle East may present political challenges, but dealmakers anticipate that 2014 will be the year M&A flourishes in the region, particularly in the GCC countries, as well as Iraq and Egypt.
National Bank of Oman, the first local bank and one of the leading banks in the Sultanate of Oman, and QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank and one of the most prominent Islamic financial institutions in the world, organized a Sukuk Seminar on January26, 2014 at Grand Hyatt, Muscat.
MEA Finance Magazine has named QInvest “Best regional investment bank” and “Best local investment bank” as part of the magazine's Middle East Banking Awards 2013.
QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank and one of the most prominent Islamic financial institutions globally, today unveiled its audited full year 2013 results. The Company reported a significant increase in revenue of 40%, a reduction in costs of nearly 30% and an increase ofUS$ 60 million in net profit. 2013 saw significant capital deployment across financing and Real Estate transactions. Balance sheet risk was significantly reduced with collection of outstanding receivables and reduction of foreign currency exposure.
• QInvest advised on a fifth of total global US$ Sukuk issuance in the year
• QInvest expects increased investor and issuer appetite for Sukuk issuance in 2014
QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank and one of the most prominent Islamic financial institutions in the world has advised on Sukuk transactions in 2013 totalling US$ 3.5 billion, and expects another busy year in 2014, with increased activity from within and outside of the MENA region.
• Issuers use intangible assets to underpin sukuk
• Market innovation to allow others to follow
Market participants are predicting an increase in sukuk issuance in the Gulf region over the next two years, as innovative structures expand the range of assets that can be used as underlying sources of profit.
Qatari state-owned telecoms firm Ooredoo, for instance, made its debut in Islamic bonds last month, pricing a US$1.25bn 3.039% 2018 sukuk.
QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank and one of the most prominent Islamic financial institutions in the world, participated in the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) - World Bank Annual Conference on Islamic Banking and Finance on 18 and 19 November 2013 in Manama, Kingd
The Gulf Bond and Sukuk Association (GBSA), the trade association representing the Arabian Gulf fixed income market, held a seminar on Islamic finance in London last week for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The seminar was organized by Jacek Kubas (Senior Associate at EBRD’s Local Currency and Capital Markets Development Team) and held at EBRD headquarters in the City of London. Around one hundred staff and members of the EBRD Board attended the event.
The Center for Islamic Economics and Finance (CIEF), part of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) of Hamad bin Khalifa University, recently organised a successful symposium on "Sukuk from Economic, Legal, Practical and Shariah Perspectives". Over 180 people attended the symposium, which was opened by Dr Hatem El-Karanshawy, the founding Dean of QFIS. Dr El-Karanshawy introduced the speakers and talked about the importance of the symposium and the different themes.
QInvest, Qatar’s leading Investment Bank and one of the most prominent Islamic financial institutions in the world, won the Global Finance “Best Islamic Fund Manager” award. The Awards Ceremony for all winners took place on October 12, 2013 at The National Press Club in Washington DC.
QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank and one of the most prominent Islamic financial institutions in the world, today unveiled its new strategy to deliver long term sustainable growth.
By Dinesh Nair, Reuters
• QInvest to concentrate on three core lines - CEO
• Seeks to provide access to Qatar capital
• No urgent need to do acquisitions
• To work more closely with shareholder Qatar Islamic Bank
• Streamlining discontinues some business lines
QInvest, Qatar's leading investment bank, has been internationally recognized as Best Sukuk Structuring House in Qatar at the UK's 7th Annual Sukuk Summit 2013, the industry's leading event. The panel of judges, made up of respected industry experts from across the GCC, Europe and the South East Asia, selected QInvest based on its role as joint lead manager and bookrunner for the US$ 750 million Sukuk issuance for Qatar Islamic Bank and for the US$ 4 billion Sukuk issuance for the State of Qatar.
QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank, is pleased to announce the inclusion of the QInvest Managed Account Platform (QMAP) funds to The Global Fund Platform of top 10 global custodian and asset servicer RBC Investor & Treasury Services.
QMAP, launched by QInvest in the first quarter of 2013, is the world's first open architecture Sharia'a compliant managed account fund platform, which brings the capabilities of some of the best managers in the world to investors, who would like to adhere to the principles of Sharia'a.
