Meeting the better half: Unless inflation and unemployment come knocking on the door

3rd May 2017 Meeting the better half: Unless inflation and unemployment come knocking on the door Banks are restricting lending, customers are defaulting on financing and inflation is ballooning. Will 2017 be another challenging year for Islamic banks? Almost certainly. But will it be as tough? VINEETA TAN finds out. CAPITAL MARKETS ISSBNT: A saving grace for the local iETFs? Bursa Malaysia intends to give a conventional framework a Shariah spin to leverage it to the benefit of the Islamic capital markets. BANKING Tawarruq banking contracts on the rise Controversial as it may be, reverse Murabahah contracts are gaining traction year-on-year solidifying its position as the most popular Shariah banking contract in Malaysia. REGULATORY MATTERS Regulators to liberalize short-selling framework to boost market liquidity Regulators are considering regulating Islamic short-selling involving government securities in a move to deepen market liquidity and close the pricing gap between conventional and Shariah papers issued by the government. TAKAFUL The curious case of the Malaysian Competition Act: What can the Takaful industry learn? The Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) this year took action against the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) along with 22 of its members for allegedly being involved in an anti-competitive agreement. The issue made headlines in the country’s insurance arena, as many parties were dragged into the mess, including top insurance providers and the central bank. ASSET MANAGEMENT Financial sector could be the asset class to boost Islamic asset management industry The chairman of the nation’s largest asset management company has called for the separate listing of Islamic banking stocks in order to increase the exposure of Shariah fund managers to the financial segment, which has so far been relatively absent from Islamic portfolios and impacting investor returns. FINTECH A golden fintech opportunity – HelloGold eyes regional expansion A Japanese firm has forged an alliance with a gold fintech start-up to offer Malaysian consumers Shariah compliant asset-backed personal financing, a partnership made possible by a new Shariah standard in gold. CASE STUDY The curious case of the Malaysian Competition Act: What can the Takaful industry learn? KDU University College recently tapped the Islamic debt capital markets to raise funding for its new university campus in Penang, among others. MY Islamic Finance takes a closer look at the transaction. Contact Us Editor Vineeta Tan vineeta.tan@REDmoneygroup.com Journalist Durgahyeni Selvam durgahyeni.selvam@redmoneygroup.com Head of Production Hasnani Aspari hasnani.aspari@REDmoneygroup.com Senior Graphic Designer Eumir Shazwan eumir.shazwan@REDmoneygroup.com Associate Publisher Steve Stubbs Steve.Stubbs@REDmoneygroup.com Business Development Manager Matt Gabriel matt.gabriel@REDmoneygroup.com Finance Director Faizah Hassan faizah.hassan@REDmoneygroup.com Deputy Publisher & Director Geraldine Chan (Dubai office) geraldine.chan@REDmoneygroup.com Managing Director Andrew Tebbutt andrew.tebbutt@REDmoneygroup.com Managing Director & Publisher Andrew Morgan andrew.morgan@REDmoneygroup.com For partnership inquiries or any questions you may have, please contact Steve Stubbs at +603 2162 7800 ext 55 or email Steve.Stubbs@REDmoneygroup.com