Projects across the UK, including the iconic Shard building, have seen Islamic finance play a significant funding role.
Projects across the UK, including the iconic Shard building, have seen Islamic finance play a significant funding role.

UK set for rapid global growth in Islamic finance



Britain is leading the West in Islamic finance, according to a new report.

The UK is the fourth most significant centre for Islamic finance among non-Muslim-majority nations - after Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Africa.  The UK could take a leading role in setting international Sharia compliant standards.

More than 20 banks across the country offer Islamic finance services – more than double the number located in the US. Five banks in the UK are fully Sharia compliant.

The report from TheCityUK, the representative body for the UK-based financial and related professional services industry, found that globally the market for services in the sector increased 7.5% year on year in 2015 to a record $2trn worldwide.

In Britain, TheCityUK estimates that assets of UK-based financial institutions offering Islamic finance services reached more than $5bn in last year.

"The Islamic finance sector is a rapidly expanding part of the global financial system. Currently, Sharia compliant assets make up just 1% of global financial assets, yet around one in four of the world population is Muslim. There is enormous potential for further growth. Given the UK's position as a world-leader in innovation and development within the sector, we're well-placed to capture this opportunity," explains Miles Celic,chief executive of TheCityUK.

The report also found that the UK has become the leading centre of Islamic finance education and training globally. It is also increasingly a centre of innovation and development for the use of financial technologies in Islamic finance products.

A number of projects across the UK, including the Shard building and the Olympic Village in London, as well as over 6,500 new homes outside the capital London, have involved Islamic finance in a significant funding role.

“Infrastructure development is a key area where greater use of Islamic finance instruments could be encouraged. Current trends suggest that this will continue to grow in the years ahead,” said Mr Celic.

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The UK was the first Western nation to issue a sovereign sukuk (Islamic bonds). Today, a total of 65 sukuk have been listed on the London Stock Exchange with a total value of $48bn.

The growth of the UK’s Islamic finance sector has been supported by the country’s government. Two years ago, Tobias Ellwood, under secretary of state at the Foreign Office, told UK press that the government aimed to make Britain the leading nation in Islamic finance.

The growth in this sector could be of sizable benefit to the country, whose economic future many are uncertain of.

"It's difficult to say that Islamic finance will be the answer to everything, although what I think we can safely say is that it had been government policy to place London alongside Dubai as an international Islamic financial capital," Jason Chuah, Professor of Commercial and Maritime Law at The City Law School, London, said earlier this year when discussing the post-Brexit economic climate in the UK.

Other must-tries

Tomato and walnut salad

A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.

Badrijani nigvzit

A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.

Pkhali

This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.

'Shakuntala Devi'

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

 

 

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Company%20Profile
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

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What is double taxation?
  • Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
  • Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
  • The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
  • Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

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Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
 
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
 
Don’t be afraid to negotiate

It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
 
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
 
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.

The specs

The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
 

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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