Third, sufficient level of contingent capital should enable a well-run bank to still operate with significant leverage and thus earn a healthy return. In the more extreme suggestions for the amount of contingent capital, one would very substantially change the return profile of common equity for banks, perhaps creating an entirely new investor category. There are two lessons from this paper which should be applied to contingent capital instruments. First it has been suggested to us by market contacts that the trigger point in existing contingent instruments is such that many investors have bought them on the assumption that these contingent capital securities never will be called (or worse, that there will be official support before that point). If that were to be the foundation for this market, we believe that the very purpose of contingent capital may be subverted, creating a risk to financial stability in a crisis situation. The whole point of contingent capital securities should be that the recapitalisation is triggered without any grand repercussions, making it easier than raising fresh capital in the market. If triggering the conversion were to cause the sort of damage reported in our examples above, then the market could be severely disrupted just when it was most needed. The contract design must therefore reflect a need for the trigger to be as smooth as possible. One potential mitigant would be to have a range of trigger levels, so no single level becomes a focal point for indicating severe distress.

Strengthening the international infrastructure Integral to the efforts in the development of Islamic finance has been the development of the supporting international Islamic financial architecture. The establishment of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) in 2002 to set the prudential standards for Islamic finance, and the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) established in 1990 has been key to ensuring the soundness and stability of the Islamic financial system. The IFSB and AAOIFI have had an important role in the harmonisation of prudential and accounting standards across the different jurisdictions. They are also instrumental in instituting international best practices in the global development of Islamic finance. The Islamic financial institutions are also subject to the requirements on anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing. Opportunities through greater international financial integration The globalisation of Islamic finance has gained significant momentum in this recent five years. While the early development of Islamic finance was domestic centric, its internationalisation is now manifested by increased cross border flows, greater participation in international Islamic financial markets, the increased presence of financial institutions in new jurisdictions and more recently, the increased number of Islamic financial institutions which have shareholders from multiple jurisdictions. Greater financial integration has essentially been facilitated by the more rapid pace of liberalisation that has been supported by the progress that has been achieved in the development of the international Islamic financial infrastructure. This trend has also been prompted by the need for greater diversification of risks in the management of funds.