News From : DagangHalal.com (06 Jul 2009)
KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) — There are strong opportunities in the Islamic equity market, says Securities Commission chairman Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar.
“Equities offer a wide scope for innovation. Instruments such as Shariah-compliant exchange-traded funds, real-estate investment trusts (REITs) and structured products are attracting strong interest,” she said in her special keynote address at the 2009 London Sukuk Summit recently.
“For instance, there is a large demand for REITs.In Malaysia, there are strong prospects for Shariah-compliant REITs, so much so that a conventional REIT was recently converted to one that is Shariah-based,” she added.
This year, Zarinah said Xingquan, a China-based company seeking to list on the Malaysian stock exchange, also applied for and received pre-initial public offering (IPO) Shariah-compliant status for its shares.
This will thus make the company, eligible for inclusion in the investment portfolio of individual and institutional investors seeking Shariah compliant investments, she explained.
— BERNAMA