Raising Capital On Arab Equity Markets

This first book of its kind discusses in particular the role of investor protection as regards disclosure when issuers are offering securities to the public, with full descriptions of the securities markets and stock exchanges in seventeen Arab jurisdictions. In two interrelated parts it examines both the regional macroeconomic matrix and a detailed case study (that of Jordan) in order to analyse the development and characteristics of an Arab regulatory model. Among the important issues and topics arising in the course of the analysis are the following: relevance of international regulatory standards to Arab securities markets; mandatory versus voluntary securities disclosure; the fundamentals of the Islamic financial system, role of riba and gharar, nature and impact of Shari’a’s unquantifiable juridical risks on the modus operandi of Arab securities markets; macroeconomic adjustment policies and structural adjustment programmes in several Arab countries; recent economic and Arab capital markets impact in the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’; extent of different countries’ reliance on Shari’a as a constitutional source; constitutional challenges to the imposition of interest; the need for the positive law to compel securities disclosure under Shari’a; shareholders’ remedies when suing for fraud or negligent misstatements; liability for misleading or inaccurate disclosure (under the general law of the UK and a selected Arab jurisdiction); prospectus liability under the statutory regime of the UK and an Arab regulatory regime; bars to rescission of contract: Comparative UK and Shari'a aspects; and Arab, UK regulatory agencies' enforcement, prosecutorial, administrative and civil remedies. The author closely examines various instruments deployed for conveying securities disclosure and dissemination of information, and looks extensively at relevant rulings as enunciated by an Arab court of cassation. He then constructs a model of an effective securities disclosure regime in order to provide better investor protection for shareholders under Shari’a. 'Among the strengths of Dr Lu’ayy Minwer Al-Rimawi’s book is the fact that at all times he adopts a comparative approach, not only as between different Arab systems, but also with an appreciation of the legal position in the UK and the European Union and elsewhere’ [The Hon. Mr Justice Sir William Blair Q.C., High Court Judge in the UK and Chairman of the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Tribunal]. As the first in-depth discussion of the regulation of Arab capital markets in English, with an eye to international standards and the policy issues involved – and with attention focused on the central question of how the law can properly protect investors – this book will commend itself to all those with an interest in securities markets in the Arab world.

Ṣukūk markets have grown significantly worldwide since their emergence— in Islamic jurisdictions as well as conventional jurisdictions including the US, the UK, Germany, China, France and Singapore. The practices of ṣukūk markets, however, have come under close scrutiny. The legal and regulatory risks arising from the existing general legal environment and their impact on those investing and trading in ṣukūk markets has not received adequate attention. The topic of ṣukūk has been subject to extensive research and academic discussion from different perspectives, but the existing literature has not adequately addressed the issues associated with these markets. This book examines the contemporary issues encountered in the foundation and operation of ṣukūk markets by providing an in-depth discussion of the issues facing ṣukūk markets from legal and regulatory perspectives and focusing attention on how soundness can be ensured in the wider context. These issues go to the heart of what the ṣukūk market is really about, as recent debate has recognised in ṣukūk the replication of conventional bonds in ways that are considered unsatisfactory from an Islamic law point of view.

Recent developments at both the international and national levels - including the globalization of financial markets and the wave of liberalization, deregulation, and privatization- have pushed the issue of financial markets to the forefront of the development agenda. This book, edited by Said El-Naggar, comprises the proceedings of a seminar held in Abu Dhabi in January 1994. It provides a comprehensive analysis of various aspects of capital markets in general and particularly in the Arab countries.

First published in 1988, Stock Markets of the Arab World provides a sound description and analysis of the stock market situation in Arab countries and an evaluation of previous attempts at the integration of capital markets. Foreign interest in the oil producing Arab countries has grown due to the accumulation of international reserves. Oil producers are looking for an alternative to their near-term investments in United States Securities through a diversification of their economies. This book argues that these countries could profitably invest these reserves through an integration of their securities markets. It also says that prospects of increased linkages among Arab domestic markets do exist. This is an interesting read for scholars and researchers of Middle East studies, Arab economy and economics in general.

2011 Updated Reprint. Updated Annually. Saudi Arabia Banking & Financial Market Handbook

This book sheds new light on the critical importance of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), a remarkably successful central bank that is a model for developing oil exporters worldwide. As a "swing producer", Saudi Arabia has traditionally stepped in to make up for oil supply shortfalls in other OPEC countries, or to scale back their own production when overabundance might lead to a price crash. Since 2014, Saudi Arabia has changed its policy in response to the rise of American shale oil, in search of a long-term strategy that will, once again, help balance supply and demand at a steady price. In its informal dual role of central bank and sovereign wealth fund, SAMA must navigate the paradoxes faced by monoline oil producing countries: the need for diversification vs. dependence on oil-based revenue; the loss of foreign exchange reserves that follows oil-financed government spending; the unreliability of revenue from oil; the challenges of using a Western model for supervising Shariah-compliant banks; and the need to have a balancing mix of oil and financial assets. As SAMA (now the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority) reassesses its role in 2017, this history and guide to current policy issues will prove invaluable for policymakers in oil producing economies looking to apply lessons from the past as they plan for the future.

A Brookings Institution Press and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) publication Using the experience of postwar Western Europe as a benchmark, José Antonio Ocampo and his colleagues assess how regional financial institutions can help developing countries—often at a disadvantage within the global financial framework— finance their investment needs, counteract the volatility of private capital flows, and make their voices heard. The 1997 Asian financial crisis generated extensive debate on the international financial architecture. Through this discussion, it became clear that services by financial institutions— including adequate mechanisms for preventing and managing financial crises, and instruments for safeguarding global macroeconomic and financial stability—are undersupplied. Furthermore, private international capital markets provide finance to developing countries in a way that effectively reduces the ability of those nations to undertake countercyclical macroeconomic policies. International capital markets ration out many developing countries, particularly the poorest, from private global capital markets. While these deficiencies in the financial architecture are clear, the post-1997 debate has done little to evaluate the role that regional institutions could play in improving global financial arrangements. Regional Financial Cooperation aims to fill that important gap. Contributors include Ernest Aryeetey (Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana), Georges Corm (Saint Joseph University, Beirut), Roy Culpeper (North-South Institute, Ottawa), Ana Teresa Fuzzo de Lima (Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex), Stephany Griffith-Jones (Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex), Julia Leung (Hong Kong Monetary Authority), José Luis Machinea (ECLAC), Jae Ha Park (Korean Institute of Finance),Yung Chul Park (Korea University), Fernando Prada (FORO Nactional/International, Lima), Guillermo Rozenwurcel (School of Politics and Government, University of San Martin, Argentina)