S'pore's Islamic finance hub goal hit by dearth of sukuk issues
Sabana Reit only entity to have sold sukuk in the Republic this year
SABANA Shari'ah Compliant Industrial Reit is the sole entity in Singapore to have sold sukuk this year in a setback to the Republic's ambitions to become an Islamic finance hub.
The real estate investment trust raised S$100 million in September after selling S$90 million of the debt in March, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While the city introduced rules allowing for syariah-compliant bond sales in 2006, offerings have been limited to issuers such as Sabana, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and energy services company Swiber Holdings Ltd.
Singapore is among a growing number of countries that are trying to grab a share of the Islamic finance industry, whose banking assets Ernst & Young LLP forecasts will double to US$3.4 trillion by 2018. Hong Kong, Luxembourg and the UK have sold debut sukuk this year, joining the dominant markets of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East.
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