According to a report by the international credit rating agency Standard & Poor's, the global sukuk - an Islamic financial instrument - market's performance slowed this year. The report demonstrated that the issuance volume of the sukuk market will be regulated within 2015, as the Malaysian central bank has cancelled sukuk issuance and turned to other liquidity management instruments.
It is also predicted that global sukuk issuance will reduce to around $50 or $60 billion from around $110 to $115 billion, as the Malaysian central bank will not provide sukuk bonds in the following terms. The report said the sukuk market showed relatively good performance regardless of the decrease in oil prices. Although the number of sukuk issuers is growing, it is still unknown when they come up in the market, the report added. Additionally, the Basel III criteria are expected to contribute to the global sukuk issuance and the Islamic finance sector in the medium-term.
