Unicorn Investment Bank buys Bahrain Financing Co

Points of Essence:

• Unicorn Investment Bank of Bahrain mulls acquiring conventional banks in Europe, Southeast Asia and the Gulf and converting them into Shariah compliant banks. Bahrain Financing Co was its first purchase apart from a subsidiary already established in Malaysia.
• Despite a gloomy financial setting around the globe, the Bank is ready to issue $1.5 billion worth of sukuk in the Gulf region by the end of this year.
  

by Jason Benham

Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank said on Sunday it was looking to spend up to $2 billion to buy banks in Europe, Southeast Asia and the Gulf and plans to arrange $1.5 billion of Islamic bonds by year end.

Fred Stonehouse, head of strategic mergers and acquisitions at the Islamic bank, said it planned to convert any banks it acquires to comply with Islamic banking rules that ban interest.

“In the UK we see potential businesses (banks) we could acquire and Islamicise as appropriate,” he told Reuters.

Unicorn bank to begin operations next month

Points of Essence:

• Unicorn International Islamic Bank Malaysia Bhd (Unicorn Malaysia) sets to begin operation in a month’s time.
  
• The first Islamic bank licensed under the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC), the book will spend US$20 million (RM64.55 million) of its initial investment for its business in the country, which includes investment banking, corporate finance and treasury.
• Sukuk structuring is also in the pipeline for Asia and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) market.
  
• Under BNM’s licence, Unicorn will be allowed to create any Islamic banking product and take deposits as long as they are non-ringgit denominated transactions.

By Ishun P Ahmad & Habhajan Singh
Unicorn International Islamic Bank Malaysia Bhd (Unicorn Malaysia), the first Islamic bank licensed under the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC) initiative, is set to begin operations in a month’s time and expects to rake in profits by year-end.
The wholly-owned subsidiary of Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank is already eyeing a number of deals.
“We have several deals in the pipeline, including a couple of mandates already signed, which our teams are working on. We will be able to close this year with some maiden profit,” Unicorn Malaysia chairman Datuk Vaseehar Hassan told The Malaysian Reserve recently.
He said Unicorn Malaysia will utilise US$20 million (RM64.55 million) of its initial investment for its business in the country, which includes investment banking, corporate finance and treasury.
Elaborating on the deals, Vasheehar said Unicorn Malaysia is in talks with a number of banks from abroad on the possibility of structuring sukuk.
“These financial institutions are from non-Islamic countries. They do not yet have Islamic banking.
“We will work with them to develop Islamic sukuk in Asia and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States),” he said. Unicorn Malaysia is the first foreign bank to have been licensed by the MIFC early this year.
The scope of the licence is wide, allowing the bank to create any Islamic banking product and take deposits as long as they are non-ringgit denominated transactions.
Unicorn Malaysia is the latest financial institution to step into the growing local Islamic finance sector, which includes foreign players such as Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corp (Malaysia) Bhd, Asian Finance Bank Bhd and Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Bhd.
However, these players have been allowed to carry out ringgit-denomited transactions. Unicorn Investment Bank was founded in 2004 as an Islamic investment bank and has a presence in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Pakistan. Unicorn Malaysia’s management team is currently headed by its acting CEO Thameem Ghouse who hails from Bahrain.
Vaseehar, who was named Unicorn Malaysia’s chairman on Jan 1, this year, was previously the CEO and director of the Dallah Al Baraka Group in Malaysia for 16 years. He is responsible for building up Al Baraka’s Islamic banking activities in the country. He was also the former chairman of RHB Islamic Bank Bhd.
(The Malaysian Reserve, p1, July 17, 2008)