Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Perbankan Syariah Tambah 10.000 Karyawan

Bisnis.com--JAKARTA – Demi memenuhi ekspansi cabang selama setahun terakhir, industri perbankan syariah menambah hampir 10.000 sumber daya insani yang sebagian besar direkrut oleh unit usaha syariah yang beroperasi di Indonesia.

Berdasarkan data Bank Indonesia (BI), total sumber daya insani (SDI) bank umum syariah (BUS) serta unit usaha syariah (UUS) mencapai 34.726 karyawan pada akhir Juni 2013, meningkat 9.972 karyawan atau 40% dari setahun sebelumnya. 

Penambahan karyawan tersebut didorong oleh peningkatan jaringan kantor dari 1.999 unit pada Juni 2012 menjadi 2.420 pada Juni 2013. Itu belum termasuk layanan syariah di cabang konvensional induk usaha atau office channeling yang mencapai 1.277 unit. 

Lebih rinci penambahan SDI lebih banyak terjadi pada UUS yang meningkat lebih dari tiga kali lipat dari 2.575 karyawan menjadi 9.124 karyawan. Sementara itu, BUS menambah 3.423 karyawan menjadi 25.602 karyawan. 

Beny Witjaksono, Kepala Bidang Sosialisasi dan Komunikasi Asosiasi Bank Syariah Indonesia (Asbisindo), mengatakan penambahan SDI yang cukup pesat memang tidak bisa terlepas dari ekspansi sebagian BUS dan UUS yang baru saja berdiri. 

“Sumber SDI yang fresh graduate itu berasal dari sejumlah universitas yang memang sudah menyelenggarakan kuliah ekonomi syariah. Selain itu juga ada yang berasal dari bank syariah lain maupun bank konvensional,” ujarnya kepada Bisnis, Kamis (22/8/2013). 

Menurutnya, bank syariah sudah tidak kesulitan untuk mencari SDI baru non pengalaman. Namun, untuk SDI yang memiliki kemampuan dan pengalaman di bidang tertentu masih ada kendala karena jumlahnya belum cukup banyak. 

Atas dasar itu, tuturnya, masih terjadi fenomena pembajakan SDI antar bank syariah meskipun jumlahnya sudah jauh berkurang dibandingkan dengan beberapa tahun lalu. “Bajak membajak masih berlangsung tapi sudah gakmassif, karena industri masih membutuhkan tenaga profesional,” ujarnya. 

Penambahan kantor cabang dan SDI secara agresif ini berperan meningkatkan inefisiensi industri perbankan syariah yang tercermin pada rasio beban operasional terhadap pendapatan operasional (BOPO) meningkat dari 75,74% pada Juni 2012 menjadi 76,18% setahun berikutnya.

Riyanto, Direktur Utama Bank Syariah Bukopin (BSB), menilai penambahan SDI tidak harus mendongkrak inefisiensi apabila dilakukan sesuai rencana bisnis yang matang. Penambahan SDI tersebut harus sejalan dengan perkembangan bisnis. 

“Misalnya seperti BSB menargetkan pertumbuhan pendapatan 30%--40%, maka penambahan SDM dan cabang harus sejalan dengan itu. Tidak bisa lebih ataupun sembarangan,” ujarnya dalam kesempatan berbeda. 

BSB selama setahun terakhir menambah sekitar 200 karyawan sehingga total mencapai 800 karyawan. Penambahan karyawan baru lebih banyak untuk mengisi jaringan kantor yang baru di buka pada tahun ini 

Direktur Utama Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) Syariah M. Hadi Santoso mengatakan pihaknya memiliki strategi agar ekspansi cabang tidak langsung berdampak negatif terhadap BOPO. “Kami biasanya tempatkan team mobile yang melakukan pemasaran produk sebelum pembukaan cabang baru,” ujarnya. 

Team mobile tersebut, tuturnya, hanya terdiri atas sedikit orang yang menyewa sebuah rumah dengan target melakukan penetrasi bisnis pada sebuah wilayah. “Apabila team mobile tersebut sudah menghasilkan baru kami buka cabang,” ujarnya.

Source : Donald Banjarnahor
Editor : Martin Sihombing

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Conventional banks take on Islamic banking

ZAWYA.COM--The Islamic window is increasingly becoming an important part of UAE’s conventional banking landscape, with one of the leading lenders starting a new division early this year and others expanding on their existing offerings, thereby contributing an increased share to the overall financial fortunes of the group.

Some banks’ financial results point to the Islamic unit gathering pace.

Though a standalone Islamic bank, Emirates Islamic Bank (EIB) is very much under the conventional Emirates NBD Group umbrella and its positive contribution is starting to make a difference. EIB made a net profit of Dh115 million in the first half of this year compared to a loss of Dh90 million a year earlier.

Dubai’s biggest lender, Emirates NBD has almost doubled the contribution of the Sharia-compliant activity to its total operating income, increasing from 5.9 per cent in 2011 to 11.6 per cent in 2012.

“That’s a significant increase,” said Raghu Mandagolathur, senior vice president-research at Kuwait Financial Centre, also known as “Markaz.”

The Islamic segment’s contribution to overall revenue of Mashreq was 10 per cent in 2012, remaining constant from the previous year, according to Moinuddin Malim, chief executive of Mashreq Al Islami. Looking ahead, the bank is aspiring to increase this contribution gradually to 15 per cent by 2015.

This, Malim said, will be done “without any cannibalisation of the existing business while adding on new bank deals and customers.”

Examining overall Islamic Banking assets in the region, Mandagolathur believes that the industry is poised for a growth.

“Our research shows that Islamic banking assets in GCC is poised to grow from $445 billion in 2012 to $628.6 billion in 2016 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.02 per cent,” said Mandagolathur.

That growth expectation to be witnessed in the UAE as part of GCC is the reason behind RAKBANK’s (The National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah) thrust in the Islamic segment. It is the new entrant in this space, starting RAKBANK Amal in January.

“With an anticipated surge in demand for Islamic Banking in the country over the coming years, RAKBANK wants to ensure that it is at the forefront through Amal’s competitive products and services,” said Mufaddal Khumri Idris, head of RAKBANK Amal.

Since its launch early this year, the bank’s Islamic banking portfolio has shown strong growth month on month.

“Shariah-compliant finance products today make up 30 per cent of the bank’s business, whether in terms of auto finance, credit cards, or personal finance,” said Idris. “Amal also continues to see a healthy trend in accumulating low-cost Saving and Current accounts.”

The new unit was a major contributor to its overall Dh650 million in new lending this year, said Idris.

While the competition is expected to grow fierce, it still makes sense to ramp up the Islamic side of the business with more products and services being readied for different customers.

According to Idris, Islamic business finance solutions are set to be launched by the end of September, while Ijarah products will be available to customers by year end.

In fact, some industry observers believe that the recent hiring of Peter England, the former retail head of the Malaysian lender CIMB Group as the new chief executive of RAKBANK, might indeed give a further fillip to its burgeoning Islamic business.

Regarding competition in the industry, Mandagolathur says Islamic banks or Islamic windows of conventional banks have to compete with conventional banks standalone or with Islamic windows.

“The competition will be between segments more than between banks as it is the product offering that will face competition,” he said. “Islamic segment is certainly a growth segment which all players will vie for a share. And so, it makes sense to tap that market.”

For Mashreq, historically the growth in this segment, which was launched in March 2010, has come from corporate finance, where it has offered Islamic alternate solutions to its customers for working capital finance, factoring, term financing and profit rate swaps.

“Today, we have completely revamped our Islamic retail offerings and are aggressively pushing home finance, personal loans, autos finance, SME finance,” said Malim. “Our ambition is to emulate the same market share as that of our industry.”

But it is not going to be easy.

“It is a tough task as Mashreq Al Islami is not a standalone Islamic bank but an Islamic window in a conventional bank,” said Malim.

However, he believes that with a superior product platform compared to some of the existing Islamic banks and quality service, Mashreq Al Islami could stand out from their competitors and help them accelerate their business.

In the wholesale banking arena, Mashreq Al Islami has launched Islamic alternative for Factoring, Export Finance, Call Account, etc. It has the region’s top performing Islamic Fixed Income Fund, and there are plans to shortly launch the Islamic equities funds.

On the retail side, Mashreq Al Islami have plans to launch Islamic alternative for credit card.

By Gaurav Ghose Financial Features Editor

Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.

Islamic Trade Finance to Emerge as the Preferred Choice in Emerging Markets

EY.COM--DUBAI, 1 JUNE 2013: According to EY’s Global Islamic Banking Center, Islamic trade finance could provide new opportunities and become the preferred choice for emerging rapid growth markets (RGMs) such as Turkey, Indonesia Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. RGMs are emerging as hot spots for global business and they promise to permanently alter the global trade scene over the next 10 years. Many of these markets already have strong trade links with other “core” Islamic finance markets, which offer new opportunities for growth for Islamic trade finance.

Ashar Nazim, Partner, Global Islamic Banking Center of Excellence at EY says: “The increase of trade flows to the East and within emerging economies combined with growing interest in Islamic finance, means that Islamic trade finance is now a serious alternative. A constant challenge for business leade

rs is to anticipate and interpret how global trade is changing, while understanding the opportunities and risks it creates. Boards and management of Islamic banks must take note. Trade, technology, culture, labor and capital will integrate at different rates across these markets and need to be anticipated when transforming the financial institution’s trade finance operations.”

RGMs are now an increasingly significant part of the global economy. They will become an even more dominant force in global trade and as a result, businesses are going to have to adjust their strategies to reflect the increasingly regional pattern of world trade and in this context should now start to consider Islamic trade finance.

Gordon Bennie, EY’s MENA Financial Services Industry Leader, says: “Trade will grow between these markets, creating a wide range of new opportunities for them and advanced economies will also benefit, as exports to emerging markets become a rising source of growth. Middle Eastern countries are trading increasingly with other RGMs, reflecting the faster growth in demand from these countries. Banking, insurance and other financial services sectors in these countries will grow as the economies mature and the middle classes expand, offering new opportunities for trade. Demand for more sophisticated financial services is already growing rapidly as wealth levels rise.”

The degree of change in both the scale and direction of trade will have a profound impact on the competitive environment for all companies wherever they are located around the world. Trade will also be increasingly focused around Asia, the Middle East and Africa, suggesting that the key geographical location for companies will change.

Ashar adds: “It makes business sense for global organizations that operate in and trade with many of these rapid growth markets, especially those that are in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) or have strong links to the bloc, to seriously look at Islamic trade finance.”

Challenges aheadTo compete in the market effectively, Islamic institutions will need to align their trade finance operations with global common practices. There has to be a clear understanding of how Islamic financial institutions can add value to businesses in their trade functions. Despite the high percentage of Muslim populations in emerging markets, conversion to Islamic trade finance will not be successful without a clear framework that gives businesses a good reason to switch.

Islamic institutions also need to maintain the talent pool that serves these emerging markets and ensure that talent management is an integral part of their business strategy. There is currently a shortage of staff with extensive experience in Islamic markets so this issue needs to be addressed with the industry’s rapid growth.

Islamic banks need to build international connectivity and scalable trade finance platforms that can connect with businesses and financial institutions beyond borders. This could be challenging given the small size and localized nature of most Islamic banks

“The road to Islamic trade finance is not one without obstacles. But if the correct framework is used and awareness about Shari’a compliant initiatives continues to grow, Middle East and North African markets will be able to strengthen their trade focus on the growing Muslim populations in emerging markets. These initiatives have the potential to significantly increase the value and volume of trade of these expanding markets. This is an opportunity that should not be overlooked,” concludes Ashar.

Malaysia: New Regulations to Boost Market for Takaful

oxfordbusinessgroup.com--An overhaul of Malaysia’s Islamic finance regulations is expected to increase take-up of sharia-compliant insurance (takaful) products, although the new rules could encourage smaller operators to join forces with more established rivals.

New legislation came into effect on June 30, along with parallel laws revamping the operations and regulation of the conventional financial sector. The new Islamic Financial Services Act (IFSA) replaces previous legislation enacted over the past 30 years, strengthening regulatory oversight and boosting industry transparency.

According to a statement from Bank Negara, the central bank, the new rules will provide “a comprehensive legal framework that is fully consistent with sharia in all aspects of regulation and supervision”.

Under the new act, religious advisers will be held legally accountable for financial products. They will also be subject to monetary penalties and could face imprisonment if found to be in breach of the laws.

In the takaful sector, the IFSA will require insurers to separate their life and non-life business lines. Firms that hold composite licences will need to divide their operations within five years.

The new rules are expected to help ensure the rights of takaful consumers, setting out disclosure requirements and mandating that insurers provide a minimum level of information to customers at each stage of the contract process.

“The IFSA will lead to greater consumer protection and subsequently greater confidence in takaful,” Mohamed Rafick, CEO of Munich RE Retakaful, told OBG in an interview in mid-July. “It will also hold takaful companies accountable for their pricing strategies by ensuring that risk funds are sustainable.”

The stringent pricing accountability could put pressure on smaller operators in the industry, Rafick added. They could also face challenges in meeting the new higher capital requirements that are specified by the IFSA.

While there are around a dozen takaful operators in the market, the sector is dominated by a few firms that, between them, account for about 90% of the estimated combined $6bn worth of assets held.

Some of the larger players have expressed interest in acquiring smaller outfits in the wake of the new regulations.

In July, Hassan Kamil, group managing director of Syarikat Takaful Malaysia, the second-largest Islamic insurer, told Reuters his company might be in the market to absorb smaller rivals. “If their portfolio is attractive, we could be buying up business,” he said.

However, analysts are confident that the new regulations will help the sector to expand.

Ahmad Rizlan Azman, CEO of Etiqa Takaful, said the improved regulatory environment, alongside growing public understanding of takaful products, would help the sector to develop into 2015 and beyond.

“Recent reports indicate that the Malaysian takaful industry is expected to grow by 20% per annum for the next two years as consumer acceptance grows and regulatory changes provide a stronger and more stable infrastructure for the shariah-compliant insurance industry,” he told a conference in Kuala Lumpur in late June.

However, the takaful sector still lacks the level of consumer acceptance required to underpin strong growth. Many products in the takaful range, as yet, have limited exposure in the Malaysian market. The penetration rate for life takaful stands at 13%, considerably lower than that of conventional life insurance, at 55%.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Swiss Re, about 30% of Muslims in Malaysia have a good understanding of takaful, while 16.5% hold policies. Though this is a far higher rate than in Indonesia, where only 5% of the population were found to be familiar with takaful and 1% choosing to hold the sharia-compliant product, the survey indicates that more work needs to be undertaken to boost penetration rates.

By tightening up the regulatory structure of its takaful segment, Malaysia will further bolster confidence in both the product and the broader Islamic financial sector and may well set the benchmark for other countries seeking to boost accountability and transparency in their own sharia-compliant markets.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

The First International Conference on Islamic Wealth Management

On 10 - 11 May 2013 at Tazkia University College of Islamic Economics, The First International Conference of Islamic Wealth Management was held. This conference was a part of a big annual event of STEI Tazkia called DINAR 2013 (Days of Islamic Economics Revival). The theme of the event was "The Contribution of Islamic Economics and Finance towards Impeccable Economy Order"

The first day of the conference was the best paper award seminar. There were more than 46 speakers from different countries which participate in this seminar. The speakers divided into 4 groups which each group will presents in one session. They were grouped based on their paper topic. There are 4 topics of the paper presentation, such as;

  1. Islamic Wealth Management Perspective : Theoretical Studies
  2. Case Studies Presented by Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions
  3. The Contribution of Islamic Wealth Management : Empirical Studies
  4. Other Issues Related to Islamic Economics
Since I (as an observant) can only attend 1 topic each session (And there were 3 sessions), I chose the first topic for the first session. For the topic Islamic Wealth Management Perspective: Theoretical Studies, there are 3 papers presented:


  1. Legality of Tawarruq in Islamic Finance by Nur Yuhanis Bt. Ismon
  2. Applying Contingent Valuation Method for Economics Valuation of Awqaf Wealth Management in Welfare Changes of Muslim Households in Sri Lanka by Sarabdeen Masahina and A. C. Muhammadu
  3. Takaful as One of the Islamic Wealth Management Tool by Marhanum Che Mohd Salleh
On the seccond session, I attended the secon topic, about Case Studies Presented by Islamuc Banks and Financial Institutions. There're also 3 papers presented:

  1. The Principle of Participatory Among Agents, a New Mathematical Modelling in Social Science under Tawhidy String Relation (TSR) Approaching (A Case of Micro-Entrepreneurs Proportion and Its Determinant Factors in Indonesia by Jadi Suriadi
  2. Islamic Insurance: Early Warning System on Financial Solvency (Evidence in Takaful Indonesia) by Hariandy Hasbi and Bethani
  3. Could Regulator Materialize Potential Demand for Islamic Securities? Evidence from Indonesia by Bayu Kariastanto and Aulia Ihsanin
And the last session, I attended the third topic, The Contribution of Islamic Wealth Management : Emphirical Studies. Papers presented are:

  1. Maqhasid Sharia Implementation in Microfinance Bank Syariah Mandiri Case Study in Microfinance Provision for Water Supply to Poor Households in Kudus Regency by Lucky Nugroho
  2. Kajian Manajemen Risiko Pembiayaan dan Risiko Operasional dari Pelaksanaan Pembiaaan Konsep Grameen Bank di MBK Finance by Bobby Yulandika Putra
  3. Improving Sharia Risk Compliance: Proposing Daily Idex for Mudharaba Contract in Islamic Banks in Indonesia by Anita Priantina, Laode Hasahu, Dewi Febiani

On the second day (11/5) was opened by Bp.Muliaman Hadad,P.Hd as the Chief of Otoritas Jasa Keuangan Republik Indonesia (OJK-RI). The International Conference of Islamic Wealth Management attended by national and international audience. The speakers are: 
  1. Prof. Dato' Dr. Sudin Haron (President of Association of Islamic Wealth Management)
  2. Prof. Dato' Dr. Muhamad Muda (Vice Chancellor of University Sains Islam Malaysia)
  3. Dr. M. Syafii Antonio, M.Ec. (Rector of Tazkia University College of Islamic Economics)
  4. Syaikh Romadhon, M.Ec.(Al-Azhar University, Egypt)
  5. Dr. Zurina (Practitioner of Islamic Wealth Management Institution)
  6. Muhammad B. Teguh, MM. (Independent Financial Planner)

Key Islamic Finance Body Plans to Screen Products


GULFNEWS.COM--Manama: A major Islamic finance body which proposes industry rules to Islamic lenders said yesterday it plans to monitor Islamic finance products in the absence of a sector watchdog.


The Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) "will screen products and services offered by the industry for Sharia compliance", it said in a statement.

The move is aimed to "encourage greater harmonisation of international Islamic finance practices," it said.

The fledgling Islamic finance industry relies for guidance on a patchwork of standard-setting bodies such as AAOIFI, opinions of Islamic scholars and national regulation.

"Although AAOIFI is not taking on a permanent role of industry watchdog, there exists a current huge gap in the market relating to credible Sharia compliance screening of products and services," AAOIFI said.

AAOIFI describes itself as an autonomous corporate body that prepares accounting, auditing, governance, ethics and Sharia standards for Islamic financial institutions and the industry. But it provides product and auditing standards, which are mandatory in seven countries, mostly in the Middle East.

Varied interpretations of Sharia, or Islamic law, have so far blocked the standardisation of rules across regions dominated by different schools of Islam.

The lack of standardisation is seen as a growth constraint as bankers need to design products for different markets and investors are reluctant to invest in products unless they are satisfied about its compliance with Islam. AAOIFI said it would highlight products it sees as non-Sharia compliant to providers and help them meet necessary requirements.

The Islamic finance industry caters to investors who would like to avoid paying or earning interest, which Islam describes as usury.