From Bernama: Global sukuk issuance in 2011 is expected to hit the 2007 peak of US$34.2 billion, backed by strong demand for Islamic financial instruments.
By end of this year, sukuk issuance could potentially reach US$30 billion with Malaysia continuing to dominate the market, consultant Baiza Bain from shariah advisory service provider Amanie Business Solutions he told reporters here on Tuesday……………………………………….Full Article: Source

From Bloomberg: The following borrowers are expected to sell Islamic bonds, which use asset returns to pay investors to comply with the religion’s ban on interest.
Global sales of sukuk fell 29 percent to $13.7 billion so far this year from the same period in 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Issuance totaled $20.2 billion last year, up from $14.1 billion in 2008……………………………………….Full Article: Source

From Zawya.com: When governments across the world want to learn more about Islamic banking, a small but rapidly expanding niche of finance that adheres to Muslim principles, the first port of call is often Bahrain.
However, with Bahrain’s position as the Arab world’s financial centre now seized by Dubai - at least in terms of international investment banking - the question remains how the small Gulf kingdom can remain the region’s dominant hub for Islamic finance……………………………………….Full Article: Source

From Thenational.ae: Shareholders of Gulf Finance House (GFH), an investment bank in Bahrain, have approved a plan to raise up to $500 million to rescue the company from the brink of bankruptcy and finance a wholesale rethinking of its business model.
Despite objections from some investors, holders of about 32 per cent of GFH stock gave the nod to all items on the agenda at a pair of meetings on Sunday, according to a statement posted on the Bahrain Stock Exchange website……………………………………….Full Article: Source

From Internetevolution.com: A jaunt to now-Muslim-majority Bethlehem, in the Palestinian Authority, reveals a thriving city: renovated, bustling, affluent. When I remark on the profusion of late-model European SUVs, my Palestinian host shrugs: “Like in the West — they live beyond their means.”
This was echoed by a report in the Israeli press, which stated that “Palestinian and Arab banks in the West Bank are offering… incentives to draw the average Palestinian into purchasing a car… by paying 10% of the new car’s value and slowly paying off the rest to the bank, with interest…”………………………………………Full Article: Source

From Accountingweb.co.uk: More than 6,000 accountants gathered in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend to discuss topics ranging from the economic crisis to the role of audit, international accounting standards, governance and Islamic finance.
The final plenary session Accountants in the next decade drew together a panel of executives from the ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA and US and Australian accountancy bodies presented their vision of the future……………………………………….Full Article: Source