PETER HORTON Q&A

摘要

Q Over the past decade, the UK has emerged as the leading Islamic finance hub in Europe. What steps need to be taken, by both the private and public sectors, to build on this position and develop the market further? A Islamic finance is reinforcing the UK's position as a global financial hub. Assets of UK-based institutions that offer Islamic finance services currently total more than $5bn. It has emerged as an important source of finance for a wide variety of infrastructure projects and widens the pool of resources to meet the vast infrastructure investment needs around the globe, but there is a huge opportunity for the sector to grow further still. In 2018, Al Rayan Bank became the first bank in the world to issue a public sterling sukuk in a non-Muslim country. The London-listed £250m ($305m) securitisation was significantly oversubscribed, reflecting the strong demand for Islamic financing instruments that exists in the market. As awareness and understanding of Islamic finance improves, it is vital that the government supports the sector and continues the processes of levelling the playing field for Islamic finance institutions.