MALAYSIA`S ISLAMIC FINANCE TO EMERGE TOPS, GLOBALLY

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's Islamic finance will emerge
tops, globally, as there was high demand for sukuk bonds, said Professor of
Finance at Bond University, Dr Mohamed Ariff.

" Islamic banking in Malaysia will go even further than where it is today,"
he told reporters after presenting a public lecture on "IMF Bank-Restructuring
During The Asian Financial Crisis: Examining the Success in the East Asian
Countries" here Friday.

The public lecture was jointly organised by Putra University of Malaysia
and Ram Holdings Bhd.

" I see great future for Islamic finance in Malaysia. For broad-based
Islamic finance, Malaysia will become the biggest one," he added.

Mohamed Ariff said sukuk (bonds) demand in Malaysia was still intact and
banks like Bank Islam and CIMB Bank were still issuing sukuk.

He said the sukuk bond market would expand and grow with demand originating
not only from Malaysia but around the region.

Given the economic recovery, Mohamed Ariff said more people would borrow
money.

" The banking industry is Malaysia is wonderful. The economy is also showing
signs of recovery and the region is receiving investments. With that, the
banking industry has to do well," he added.

-- BERNAMA