Islamic Bonds (Sukuk) Case Study (7) : US $ 400 Million Islamic Development Bank Sukuk: Hybrid Sukuk
Islamic Bonds (Sukuk) Case Study (7) : US $ 400 Million Islamic Development Bank Sukuk: Hybrid Sukuk
Islamic Bonds (Sukuk) Case Study (7) : US $ 400 Million Islamic Development Bank Sukuk: Hybrid Sukuk
Case Abstract An Islamic bond (sukuk) has economic characteristics similar to those of a conventional bond, but is structured so as to be compliant with Sharia law and can be sold to Islamic investors who are prohibited by Sharia law from investing in conventional debt securities. The IDB is a multilateral development financing institution founded in December 1973 by the first conference of the Finance Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). It officially began operations in 1975 with the purpose of fostering the economic development and social progress of member countries and Muslim communities individually as well as jointly in accordance with the principles of the Sharia. Mobilisation of resources has remained one of the greatest challenges facing the IDB. The emergence of sukuk has provided the IDB a novel dimension through which to face this challenge and in August, 2003 the bank issued US $400 million worth of trust certificates due in 2008.
Those who take riba (usury or interest) will not stand but as stands the one whom the demon has driven crazy by his touch. Quran Sura 2:275-280
IDB Guarantor
Trust Certificates
Investors/ Subscribers
Issuer The issuer: Solidarity Trust Services Ltd. Guarantor: (Islamic Development Bank (IDB)
Type Combination of Ijara, Murabaha and Istisna Sukuk, (with minimum 51% Ijara Sukuk)
The structure To implement the transaction, the IDB sold a portfolio of Islamic-compliant assets (at closing approximately 66% of the assets were ijara contracts) to The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), which is a member of the IDB group. The ICD in turn assigned the portfolio to Solidarity Trust Services Limited (Trustee). The Trustee purchased the portfolio with the proceeds of the issue of certificates. The innovation of this transaction is the inclusion of murabaha contracts and istisna contracts, which traditionally have not been assignable in accordance with Sharia principles, as they are contracts which represent an interest in a stream of payments unlike ijara contracts which represent an interest in the underlying assets. The Boards were prepared to accept the inclusion of such assets in the pool assigned to the ICD as long as the pool was primarily made up of ijara contracts. Compliance with this
3 requirement was achieved by including, as a dissolution event (which would trigger the IDBs repurchase obligation) the circumstance where ijara contracts cease to constitute more than 25% of the portfolio held by the Trustee. It was generally contemplated that ijara contracts will at all times constitute more than 50% of the portfolio, although they can in very specific cases and for very limited durations drop to as low as 25%. Having assigned the portfolio of assets to the ICS, the IDB guaranteed to the Trustee, through the ICD, the performance of the obligors under the various contracts constituting the portfolio assets. It should be noted that IDB does not guarantee the payment by the Trustee of the profit participation to the certificate holders. The IDB also promised to repurchase the Trustees portfolio (which may not be identical with the portfolio originally sold to it) for the original sale price upon the maturity date of the certificates or following certain dissolution events. The certificates are not redeemable except at maturity or upon a dissolution event. The IDB also provides a liquidity facility to the Trustee to ensure that the Trustee is able to make the required periodic distributions of profit shares to the certificate holders. If the IDB is required to provide funds to the Trustee under this facility, repayment to the IDB is made prior to further distributions to the certificate holders. The ICD was appointed by the Trustee as Wakeel or agent to manage the portfolio and the ICD in turn sub-delegated its obligations as Wakeel to the IDB. The IDB does not have a direct relationship with the Trustee with respect to the management or servicing of the portfolio. In addition to the original portfolio, the Trustee is expected to acquire further Sharia-compliant assets with profits in excess of required distributions to certificate holders and funds required to meet other costs. These assets are expected to principally be additional ijara contracts purchased from the IDB, through the ICD. However, if the IDB has insufficient ijara contracts that it can assign to the Trustee at any particular time, the Trustee may, on the advice of the ICD, directly enter into further murabaha contracts. The Trustee will not purchase murabaha contracts or istisna contracts from the IDB after the closing date. A groundbreaking transaction The IDB sukuk was groundbreaking in a number of ways. Not only was the IDB sukuk only the second global securities issue that took a Sharia-compliant form, it was also IDBs first foray into the global capital markets and the first issue that included a range of instruments in the pool of assets supporting the sukuk. Both the Kingdom of Malaysia offering and the offering by the State of Qatar relied for cash flow on the revenue from leases of real estate assets. These assets were purchased from the relevant State and then leased back under ijara (lease) contracts. In the case of the IDB sukuk, the asset base includes ijara contracts, interests in murabaha (cost plus profit sale) contracts and istisna (construction or manufacture) contracts. This structure was approved by the Sharia Boards of the IDB, Citi Islamic Investment Bank and The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector. In their pronouncement approving the structure, the Sharia Boards expressly took into consideration (i) the legal constraints under which [this] product is being developed; (ii) the need to further develop the emerging Islamic finance industry as an alternative and viable financing system; (iii) the need to facilitate and bring ease to Islamic financial institutions and others who are determined to raise financing according to Sharia principles