Editor's Note

Opalesque launches Islamic Finance Intelligence as industry faces great debates in a number of fronts

Setting a new standard: 19 pages of intelligence

Welcome to the first issue of Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence (OIFI), designed with a practitioner approach – focused on precise and relevant content for investors, product manufacturers, and fund managers of this truly global community. This free, monthly publication complements Opalesque Islamic Finance Briefing (our daily industry news briefing) and leverages on the success of the Opalesque family of specialized publications (Alternative Market Briefing, A Square, Roundtable Series, etc).

The industry faces great debates in a number of fronts – from market gaps, distribution networks, standardisation initiatives, risk & compliance concerns, to structural question marks. These issues are faced by both current industry players as well as new entrants. A case in point is the recent debate over Tawarruq, with Nikan scrutinizing the matter in our Featured Structure section.

The range of topics is vast - Islamic finance products now extend to all asset classes (from exchange traded funds to private equity vehicles), the industry is ever-evolving in its core markets (the GCC and Southeast Asia) and product cross-pollination with conventional fund houses is an emerging trend. Our maiden edition further provides an overview of Islamic contract law - detailed by Khalil in our Editorial Column. We also debate over the outputs of the transaction: practitioners share their thoughts in our Discussion Forum on the use of conventional benchmarks (i.e. LIBOR) by Islamic banks, whilst Toby Birch of Birch Assets Ltd scrutinizes the industry pitfalls in our Allocator Interview.

Market awareness has skyrocketed in recent years - experts once touted the existence of 60 Islamic equity funds whereas the industry now boasts a universe of well over 700 Shariah compliant investment products. Growth projections usually land between 15 to 20 percent per annum, yet some of the largest Muslim countries (i.e. Indonesia, Egypt and India) remain untapped. A comprehensive product range is unheard of (in stark contrast to the conventional world), yet this bestows the industry with endless prospects. We shed light on these by analyzing Islamic fund of funds in our Industry Tables section.

Please contact us, we would love to hear from you:
Publisher: Matthias Knab - knab@opalesque.com
Editor: Bernardo Vizcaino - bernardo@opalesque.com
Advertising Director: Denice Galicia - dgalicia@opalesque.com

Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence is a free subscription - new readers can register here and make your choice from our menue of eleven specialized publications. (Note that while most of our publications are free, we also offer three premium/paid publications).

Download Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence issue here

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About OIFI

OIFI is the latest addition to the Opalesque family and designed to provide an effective gateway towards this growing and fast-evolving industry. It aims to provide an innovative and sophisticated approach to Islamic finance, with an unmatched ability to openly discuss the various issues, challenges and opportunities within the industry. Above all, OIFI maintains a practitioner approach – focusing on precise and relevant content for investors, product manufacturers, fund managers and all members of this truly global community.

This new publication addresses the Islamic finance community through a monthly edition, complemented by the Opalesque Islamic Finance Briefing (our free industry news daily), and a variety of additional tools for readers. OIFI brings together a wide range of guest columnists, interviews, profiles and much more. Our coverage includes:

  • Featured resources and research material
  • Featured structures and their applications
  • Fund Manager profiles
  • Allocator / Institutional interviews
  • Featured articles and opinion columns
  • Discussion boards and forums
  • Industry statistics and metrics

Above all, OIFI brings a new and energetic approach; it is a must-read for anyone interested in entering this field and a welcome new approach for industry participants.

The OIFI concept has been jointly developed between Opalesque and Amsar Partners, an independent Islamic finance consultancy. Amsar brings together a multi-disciplinary team that includes Bernardo Vizcaino, CAIA, Managing Director; Nikan Firoozye Ph.D., Director of Shariah Structuring; and Khalil Jarrar J.D., Director of Jurisprudence. They combine highly regarded financial, academic and research backgrounds with an unmatched industry network.

Their working experience ranges from boutique to institutional. Their research has explored Islamic funds, sukuk structures, a wide range of Shariah compliant instruments, as well as work on the conventional world - fixed income relative value strategies, bayesian models for algorithmic trading, macroeconomics, 130/30 and SRI funds, etc. Their previous editorial engagements have included the Middle East Insurance Review, Euromoney, RISK Magazine, Islamic Finance News, Terrapinn, IQPC, CNBC, Bloomberg, among others. Their academic trajectory ranges from Masters of Applied Finance, PhD in Applied Mathematics, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Doctor of Jurisprudence, and International Law.

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