Islamic Banking
Singapore Set For 2010 Islamic Finance Conference

Singapore has been chosen to be the venue of the inaugural
Asia World Islamic Banking Conference in June 2010.
Speaking at this year's 16th WIBC event in Bahrain,
Heng Swee Keat, the managing director of the
Monetary Authority of Singapore said that although Singapore
is relatively new to the Islamic finance industry, the
city-state's existing strengths in banking insurance, asset
management and capital markets places it on a steady path towards
becoming a viable hub for shariah compliant financial
services.
"We were honoured to host the 5th Islamic Financial Services
Board Annual Summit in May. At this Summit, MAS issued a
consolidated set of guidelines to provide greater clarity and
certainty on how our banking regulations apply to Islamic
banking," said Mr Heng.
The MAS this year successfully launched its Sukuk, while the
Islamic Development Bank also issued a Singapore dollar
denominated trust certificate worth $200 million. Several of
Singapore-based companies have also adopted Shariah-compliant
structures for their financing needs. Keppel T&T, for
instance, has signed a joint venture with Saudi Arabia's Al Rajhi
Holding Group to create the world's first Shariah-compliant data
centre fund.
"We will continue to work with fellow regulators and the private
sector to fine-tune our regulatory approach and to develop the
infrastructure and talent to facilitate the growth of Islamic
Finance in Singapore," Mr Heng added.