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The sukuk, a form of Islamic bond, has become one of the most popular and recognisable Islamic financial instruments globally. In Brunei Darussalam, sukuk issuance has been growing steadily, but it remains in its infancy and investors have few options in the fixedincome market. In the medium term, sukuk is likely to be a key component in...

The banking sector is currently facing a period of readjustment, absorbing the implications of a more mature regulatory environment and looking at ways to support the government’s development plans. In a moderately sized market with limitations on the opportunities to boost loan growth in place, the challenges for commercial banks remain substantial...

Brunei Darussalam, with a population of just 425,000, has taken the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in what is likely to be a critical year for the 45-year-old organisation.

The size of the insurance market in Brunei Darussalam, in terms of population and economic activity, is relatively small given that most locally registered companies do not have the capital or financial muscle to underwrite large-scale projects in the lucrative oil and gas sector. Nevertheless, the industry is slowly gathering momentum. Competition...

opportunities for the country. Currently, the banking sector has an average interest margin to gross income of 68.5%, suggesting that fee-based income still plays a relatively small role in boosting their balance sheets.

Opportunities to grow this in the corporate segment would, therefore, will be welcome.

The Sultanate has introduced a variety of reforms across all its sectors with the aim of diversifying the economy. The government is focused on making the most of ASEAN’s recent surge in growth by attracting foreign direct investment. To achieve this goal the state has realigned its reforms to improve the country’s ranking on the World Bank’s “...