Dubai Islamic Bank plans to expand its operations into Indonesia, Kenya and other African countries as it emerges from a period of consolidation, the bank's chief executive said. The emirate's largest sharia-compliant lender, which currently makes some 95 percent of its revenue within the United Arab Emirates, says it is entering a growth phase domestically and internationally, reports Reuters (13 March 2014).
"We are exploring opportunities in Indonesia, Kenya and surrounding countries in Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)," Adnan Chilwan (photo, courtesy of DIB) told the newswire. "We could acquire, set up a JV, establish a finance company or start a greenfield operation as long as we keep management control and operate under our brand."
THE REPORT ADDS:
Chilwan, who was promoted to CEO in July last year, described Africa as virgin territory for Islamic finance. In Kenya, most estimates put the number of Muslims at only about 15 percent of the population of 40 million, but the financial regulator is preparing a ten-year capital markets development strategy that includes Islamic finance.
"Both consumer and wholesale opportunities are there, especially in the countries we are targeting and while the initial investments are not too intensive, the returns are extremely decent and more than acceptable in our line of work," Chilwan said, without giving details of his plans for Africa.
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