
Sharjah Islamic Bank strengthens global standing with successful pricing of $500mln perpetual sukuk
Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) has successfully priced US$ 500 million perpetual Additional Tier 1 sukuk with a fixed profit rate of 6.125 percent and a six-year non-call period, making a mark as the tightest set AT1 Issuance in 2025 globally.
With a reset spread of 195.6 bps, the issuance also marks a reduction in the Spread achieved in 2019 by 125.7 bps.
The issuance drew robust and was oversubscribed by more than 2.0x from a wide spectrum of investors across the GCC, Europe, and Asia, reflecting the high level of confidence the Bank enjoys among international financial institutions and investment funds.
This transaction further demonstrates the Bank's strategic use of capital markets as an effective tool to support its growth trajectory and strengthen its capital base.
Mohamed Abdalla, CEO of Sharjah Islamic Bank, commented, 'This latest sukuk issuance reflects the continued success of our strategy to leverage capital markets in supporting the SIB's financial position and long-term expansion. Since our first sukuk in 2006, we have built a solid track record as a trusted and consistent issuer in the global Islamic finance space. This marks our tenth sukuk issuance, reaffirming SIB's leadership in the international sukuk market.'
The transaction attracted exceptional interest, far exceeding expectations, and securing demand from a highly diversified investor base.
Ahmed Saad, Deputy CEO of Sharjah Islamic Bank, added, 'The overwhelming interest from international investors in this issuance underscores growing trust in our performance, strategy, and future vision. The strong pricing outcome is a testament to SIB's position as a robust Islamic banking institution offering innovative, Sharia-compliant financial solutions and maintaining deep engagement with global investors.'
This latest issuance builds on the Bank's successful track record in the sukuk space. In February 2025, SIB priced a US$500 million sukuk at a profit rate of 5.20 percent, representing a margin of 89.8 basis points over 5-year US Treasury notes. Despite market volatility, that deal attracted over US$1.7 billion in orders, more than 3.4 times the issuance size, with strong participation from investors across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The joint lead managers and bookrunners for the issuance were: Arqaam Capital, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD Capital, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC, Kamco Invest, Mashreq Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank.
This transaction forms part of a broader capital strategy aimed at strengthening SIB's capital structure, supporting business expansion across key markets while maintaining a commitment to financial governance, resilience, and sustainability.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Etihad
11 minutes ago
- Al Etihad
UAE participates in Ministerial Meeting of GCC Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee
1 June 2025 18:12 KUWAIT (WAM) The UAE has taken part in the 123rd Ministerial Meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee, held on Sunday in Kuwait, bringing together the Ministers of Finance of the GCC member by the Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, the UAE delegation featured the Director-General of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), Khalid Ali Al Bustani; and the Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for International Financial Relations, Ali Abdullah Sharafi.A number of specialists from the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Tax Authority, the Federal Authority for Identity and Nationality, Customs and Port Security also accompanied the meeting discussed priority issues to strengthen financial and economic cooperation across the GCC, where appropriate decisions were taken addressed include the outcomes of the 84th Meeting of the Committee of the Governors of the Central Banks in the GCC Countries, recent sessions of the GCC Customs Union Authority, and the 14th meeting of the Committee of Heads and Directors of Tax Departments in the GCC also reviewed the latest developments related to the Gulf Common Market, along with recommendations stemming from a joint event hosted by the UAE Ministry of Finance and the GCC General Secretariat on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in February on the GCC's economic unity agenda by 2025 was also reviewed, with discussions focusing on ongoing efforts to enhance Gulf coordination in global economic forums. The session also featured a briefing by the GCC Statistical Centre on current data from the Gulf Common Hussaini said that strengthening joint GCC action in the financial and economic sectors will continue to be a strategic priority for the UAE, particularly in light of the accelerating challenges facing the global stressed the importance of completing the requirements of the GCC Common Market and Customs Union as essential steps toward enhancing economic efficiency and boosting the global and regional competitiveness of GCC added that the next phase calls for expediting institutional integration and aligning financial, tax, and customs policies to foster greater harmony and coherence among GCC reaffirmed the UAE's support for all efforts and initiatives aimed at establishing a unified Gulf economy and creating an attractive, dynamic environment for investment and concluded by highlighting the need to intensify technical cooperation and exchange expertise among member states, as well as making the most of the opportunities presented by joint Gulf efforts, he noted, are vital to achieving sustainable growth, ensuring long-term prosperity for GCC citizens, and strengthening the region's position as an influential economic bloc on the global stage. During the meeting, the meeting ministers exchanged views on financial and economic priorities for the next phase and explored how to enhance the GCC countries' readiness to address regional and global developments, as well as how to support executive plans for economic integration and strengthen the GCC's position on the global stage.


Tahawul Tech
33 minutes ago
- Tahawul Tech
UAE takes lead in AI-driven digital transformation with Dynatrace's Observability vision
Philippe Deblois, Global VP, Solutions Engineering at Dynatrace, discusses the UAE's digital edge, the evolution of observability, and how AI is shaping the future of IT operations. With the UAE fast emerging as a global hub for digital innovation and AI integration, industry leaders are keenly investing in solutions that simplify complexity and drive performance across hybrid cloud environments. Dynatrace, a global leader in observability, is among the few vendors making deep inroads in the region by enabling enterprises to anticipate, automate, and accelerate their digital journeys. In this exclusive conversation, Philippe Deblois, Global Vice President, Solutions Engineering at Dynatrace, shares his top insights with on why the UAE is a magnet for next-gen digital projects, how observability is evolving into a business-critical strategy, and why AI isn't just a feature—but the foundation of the future. Interview Excerpts: Where do you see the UAE in terms of its digital transformation journey? What stands out to you most? The UAE is currently one of the most exciting places for digital transformation. There are numerous ongoing projects, and partnerships such as NVIDIA with G42 and Humane in Saudi Arabia are advancing the concept of AI factories. The Emirates are clearly leading this movement. At Dynatrace, we've seen this as a reason to significantly expand our presence—investing in resources, growing our team by 280%, and launching our own cloud instance in Abu Dhabi. We are the only observability vendor to do so. How is observability evolving from traditional monitoring to a full-scale business solution? Traditional monitoring was reactive—problem occurs, then you respond. Observability, on the other hand, is proactive. It helps prevent issues before they arise by enabling automation, auto-remediation, and performance optimisation. It spans across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and even integrates with AI agents—creating a comprehensive solution that supports modern digital systems. Can you explain observability in simple terms? Observability is essentially about visibility—understanding how systems perform and interact. It's designed to work across all systems, helping identify performance gaps and enabling automated optimisation and protection. What makes Dynatrace's observability platform unique in today's complex IT environments? What sets Dynatrace apart is our all-in-one platform approach. We developed our own backend architecture called Grail, which consolidates logs, traces, metrics, and business/security events into a single data layer. Additionally, AI is built into the core—not added on. 'We use what we call the 'power of three': causal AI, predictive AI, and generative AI. We're also exploring agentic AI for orchestrated communication between AI agents and systems.' Does managing such AI-powered systems require specialised manpower? Are users equipped to handle this? There's a global need to upskill for AI, no doubt. But with Dynatrace, users don't need to be AI experts. Our platform handles the complexity behind the scenes. Users only need to learn how to apply the insights to improve customer or business outcomes. Do you encounter resistance from traditional mindsets when advocating for observability and cloud adoption? Yes, we often do. While innovators grasp the need, some laggards still hesitate. But as businesses move away from three-tier applications toward microservices and cloud-native models, complexity increases. That's when they start seeing value in observability—especially when it helps them reduce friction and gain control during transformation. Which industries in the UAE are adopting observability solutions most rapidly? We've seen strong adoption in government, banking, and aviation. These sectors rely heavily on customer-facing applications, and any disruption directly impacts user experience. Companies are prioritising performance because customers today are vocal—especially on social media—and poor experience can harm reputation fast. What are your top tips for businesses aiming to stay competitive and resilient through observability? First, treat observability as essential—not optional. Modern IT environments are too complex to manage without it. Second, use observability to enhance security—identify vulnerabilities and prioritise fixes. Third, focus on business observability—understanding critical processes like account openings in banking can reveal operational inefficiencies and help improve customer satisfaction.


Zawya
40 minutes ago
- Zawya
UAE reaffirms commitment to promoting GCC Economic Integration at 123rd Ministerial Meeting in Kuwait
Exploring latest updates on the progress of the Gulf Customs Union and GCC Common Market H.E. Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini: The UAE supports all efforts to strengthen financial and economic cooperation among GCC states. Kuwait: The UAE has taken part in the 123rd Ministerial Meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee, held today in Kuwait, bringing together Their Excellencies, the Ministers of Finance of the GCC member states. Led by H.E. Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, the UAE delegation featured H.E. Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director-General of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA); and Ali Abdullah Sharafi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for International Financial Relations. A number of specialists from the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Tax Authority, the Federal Authority for Identity and Nationality, Customs and Port Security also accompanied the delegation. Advancing Regional Economic Integration The meeting discussed priority issues to strengthen financial and economic cooperation across the GCC, where appropriate decisions were taken accordingly. Topics addressed include the outcomes of the 84th Meeting of the Committee of the Governors of the Central Banks in the GCC Countries, recent sessions of the GCC Customs Union Authority, and the 14th meeting of the Committee of Heads and Directors of Tax Departments in the GCC Countries. Ministers also reviewed the latest developments related to the Gulf Common Market, along with recommendations stemming from a joint event hosted by the UAE Ministry of Finance and the GCC General Secretariat on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in February 2025. Progress on the GCC's economic unity agenda by 2025 was also reviewed, with discussions focusing on ongoing efforts to enhance Gulf coordination in global economic forums. The session also featured a briefing by the GCC Statistical Centre on current data from the Gulf Common Market. Accelerating the pace of integration H.E. Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini said that strengthening joint GCC action in the financial and economic sectors will continue to be a strategic priority for the UAE, particularly in light of the accelerating challenges facing the global economy. He stressed the importance of completing the requirements of the GCC Common Market and Customs Union as essential steps toward enhancing economic efficiency and boosting the global and regional competitiveness of GCC countries. His Excellency added that the next phase calls for expediting institutional integration and aligning financial, tax, and customs policies to foster greater harmony and coherence among GCC economies. He reaffirmed the UAE's support for all efforts and initiatives aimed at establishing a unified Gulf economy and creating an attractive, dynamic environment for investment and trade. He concluded by highlighting the need to intensify technical cooperation and exchange expertise among member states, as well as making the most of the opportunities presented by joint Gulf projects. These efforts, he noted, are vital to achieving sustainable growth, ensuring long-term prosperity for GCC citizens, and strengthening the region's position as an influential economic bloc on the global stage. Exchanging views During the meeting, the meeting ministers exchanged views on financial and economic priorities for the next phase and explored how to enhance the GCC countries' readiness to address regional and global developments, as well as how to support executive plans for economic integration and strengthen the GCC's position on the global stage.