The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) is set to launch a key Islamic financial instrument aimed at providing a much-needed liquidity management tool to Islamic financial institutions.
The Islamic Sukuk Liquidity Instrument (ISLI) has been jointly developed by the CBB and the Bahrain-based Liquidity Management Centre (LMC), an organization which provides asset sourcing, structuring and market making capabilities.
ISLI has been designed to enable financial institutions, both conventional and Islamic, to access short term liquidity against Government of Bahrain Islamic leasing (Ijara) bonds (sukuk), issued by the CBB.
The new initiative reflects CBB’s continuing commitment and contribution to the Islamic finance industry and will further enhance Bahrain’s role as a world leader in the sukuk market.
‘The development of the uniquely-structured ISLI represents a major breakthrough for the Islamic finance industry worldwide and will significantly enhance the sukuk market,’ said Dr Abdul Rahman Saif, Executive Director, Banking Operations, at the CBB.
The availability of instruments such as ISLI will help create a deeper and more liquid sukuk market, which requires a variety of short and long term instruments to enhance Islamic banks’ ability to efficiently manage their liquidity. It will also stimulate and promote a more active Islamic financial market. ....
