21 Dec, 2011Sukuk investors increase holdings in Nasdaq Dubai custody by 36%

The value of Sukuk investments held for safekeeping in Nasdaq Dubai's custody has risen by 36% in the past year, from 100 million dollars to 136 million dollars.

The increase in the holdings, which are maintained in the exchange's Central Securities Depository (CSD), reflects the wide range and competitive pricing of the CSD's services to participants. As well as custody, these include settlement of over the counter cross-border transfers and processing of corporate actions, such as interest and profit payments and redemption.

Nasdaq Dubai is the only exchange in the Middle East that has direct access to the International Central Securities Depositaries (ICSDs) Euroclear and Clearstream. These links provide an easy transaction process between the ICSDs and the Nasdaq Dubai CSD for international and regional investors.

Craig Hewett, Head of Business Development at Nasdaq Dubai, said: -Our CSD provides Sukuk investors with an international best practice depository structure for settlement, asset-servicing and safekeeping. We look forward to hosting more Sukuk investors on the Nasdaq Dubai CSD as we expand our Sukuk market.-

Nasdaq Dubai is the largest exchange for Sukuk in the Middle East by listed value, with 15 Sukuk with a nominal value of 10.5 billion dollars.

Investors' holdings in the Nasdaq Dubai CSD are maintained by Nasdaq Dubai's Custodian banks. These are Citibank, Deutsche Bank, EFG Hermes, Emirates NBD, HSBC, Shuaa Capital and Standard Chartered.