NEWHORIZON
NEWHORIZON - Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance
NEWHORIZON - Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance
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NEWS<br />
<strong>NEWHORIZON</strong> October–December 2010<br />
HSBC Amanah recently opened<br />
its first branch dedicated to<br />
Shari’aah compliant products<br />
and services in Qatar. The<br />
branch, HSBC’s first dedicated<br />
Islamic banking branch in the<br />
MENA region outside Saudi<br />
Arabia, will serve retail and<br />
corporate customers.<br />
HSBC Amanah opens its first dedicated<br />
Islamic banking branch in Qatar<br />
Speaking at the opening<br />
ceremony in Doha, Michael<br />
Geoghegan, HSBC Group Chief<br />
Executive Officer said: ‘As the<br />
leading international bank in<br />
the Middle East, HSBC is<br />
strongly placed for the<br />
tremendous growth<br />
opportunities in providing<br />
Islamic banking services here in<br />
Qatar and across the region. By<br />
combining our Islamic banking<br />
expertise in Saudi Arabia and<br />
Malaysia with our international<br />
reach, we can meet the<br />
increasingly sophisticated<br />
requirements of Islamic banking<br />
customers in many parts of the<br />
world.’<br />
Over the past 50 years, HSBC<br />
has reached a number of<br />
milestones in Qatar such as<br />
being the first bank to install<br />
an ATM in 1986 and lead<br />
managing Qatar’s first<br />
Islamic sukuk for the<br />
government in 2004. HSBC is<br />
currently the biggest foreign<br />
bank in Qatar, offering retail,<br />
commercial, institutional and<br />
private banking services<br />
through a network of six<br />
branches, 22 ATMs and 550<br />
employees.<br />
Two More Family Takaful Licenses Announced in Malaysia<br />
Improving economic conditions<br />
and the growth potential for<br />
insurance in the region have<br />
encouraged Bank Negara<br />
Malaysia to grant two further<br />
family takaful licenses. The<br />
original two licenses were<br />
granted in April 2009. The four<br />
approved organisations are:<br />
American International<br />
Assurance Berhad (70%) and<br />
Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad<br />
(30%);<br />
AMMB Holdings Berhad (70%)<br />
and Friends Provident Group<br />
plc, UK (30%);<br />
ING Management Holdings<br />
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (60%),<br />
Public Bank Berhad (20%)<br />
and Public Islamic Bank<br />
Berhad (20%);<br />
The Great Eastern Life<br />
Assurance Company Limited<br />
(70%) and Koperasi Angkatan<br />
Tentera Malaysia Berhad<br />
(30%);<br />
In granting the licenses the<br />
applicants’ financial soundness<br />
and resilience, track record,<br />
expertise, business plan and<br />
contribution towards financial<br />
sector development in<br />
Malaysia, were taken into<br />
consideration. It is believed<br />
that the new family takaful<br />
operators have strong value<br />
propositions that will further<br />
enhance the development of<br />
the family takaful industry<br />
in Malaysia, in particular<br />
in penetrating untapped<br />
areas of business within<br />
the family takaful industry<br />
including microtakaful,<br />
medical and retirement<br />
products. Perhaps more<br />
importantly, this move<br />
plays to Malaysia’s ambitions<br />
to establish itself as an<br />
international Islamic financial<br />
hub.<br />
6 IIBI www.newhorizon-islamicbanking.com