Mohamed Bin Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, rang the market-opening bell to celebrate and mark listing the domestic Dirhams Islamic Treasury Sukuk (T-Sukuk) on Nasdaq Dubai. The UAE, represented by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) as the issuer and in collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) as the issuing and paying agent, has announced launching dirham-denominated Islamic Treasury Sukuk (T-Sukuk), with a benchmark auction size of Dh1.1 billion.
The launching of Dirham-denominated Islamic Treasury Sukuk (T-Sukuk) includes a series of issuances, in order to attract a new category of investors and support the sustainability of economic growth. The issuance of T-Sukuk is aimed at enhancing the UAE’s economic competitiveness by providing high-quality Islamic assets at competitive prices.
This will support the Central Bank of the UAE in managing liquidity within the banking sector and boosts the size of financial investments, which will reflect positively on the country’s economy, investment environment, per capita income and gross national income.
The bell ringing ceremony was attended by a number of senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of the UAE, Nasdaq Dubai, and the CEOs of the eight banks that were onboarded as primary dealers, in addition to other senior officials from various relevant authorities.
The inaugural issuance of the Dirham-denominated Islamic Treasury Sukuk programme witnessed a strong demand through the eight primary bank dealers, with bids received worth Dh8.3 billion, and an oversubscription by 7.6 times.
The strong demand was across both tranches, with a final allocation of Dh550 million for the two-year tranche, and Dh550 million for the three-year tranche, with a total issuance of Dh1.1 billion. Other tranches of Islamic Treasury Sukuk will be issued with various tenures up to five years initially, followed by a 10-year sukuk at a later date.
Al Hussaini noted that issuing the T-Sukuk contributes to expanding the scope of Islamic banking and is one of the most important tools for managing monetary policy and liquidity to finance development programmes and projects.
The T-Sukuks are Sharia-compliant financial certificates for trading in the secondary market along with the main distributors, reflecting the current return on investment. These sukuk will also contribute to stimulating the securities market and strengthening the base of Islamic securities, providing safe and rewarding investment alternatives, and attracting new segments of local and international investors.
He emphasised that the success of the first auction is another testament to the UAE’s creditworthiness as one of the most advanced and competitive economies in the world, reaffirming its position as a leading investment hub in the field of Islamic economy.
His Excellency said: “The issuance of Islamic Treasury Sukuk is a new step towards achieving the comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development objectives of the UAE. It contributes to the development of the financial market and the investment environment in the country by attracting financial investments and rejuvenating the local financial and banking sector to diversify funding sources, which cements the UAE’s position as a global hub for Islamic economy.”—Zawya News
