Zeti Akhtar Aziz: Sustaining Malaysia as a platform for international Islamic finance Address by Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia, at the Launching of HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad: "Sustaining Malaysia as a Platform for International Islamic Finance", Kuala Lumpur, 25 November 2008. *  *  *  It is my pleasure to be here today at this official launch of "HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad" (HSBC Amanah). This launch is significant in a number of respects. It reflects the continued expansion of Islamic finance in Malaysia , taking place at a time of great uncertainty in the glo bal financial system. The launch of HSBC Amanah, as an Islamic subsidiary of an international financial group, is also significant as it will contribute towards enhancing further the international dimension of Islamic finance in Malaysia, thus strengthening our international financial and economic linkages with other parts of the world. The Islamic subsidiary represents the transformation of the Islamic banking window operations into a dedicated entity that allows for greater strategic direction and drive of performance for the Islamic banking business. The advancement of the Islamic subsidiary institutions structure has the potential to further complement the goals of the group by providing an alternative model to spur the expansion of the banking business. It will pave the way for providing strong support in terms of capital, resources and operational infrastructure to elevate performance.

ISRA focuses on applied research in Shariah and Islamic finance, and provides the avenue for greater engagement between industry players and scholars. In addition, the tax neutrality treatment, has paved the way for the introduction of innovative products such as Ijarah Munthahiah Bithamleek (leasing ending with ownership) and Musharakah Mutanaqisah (diminishing partnership) in home financing, and currency option using the concept of Hamish Jiddiyah (security deposit) and Tawarruq (monetisation). Secondly , foreign Islamic subsidiaries have an important role in enhancing the international linkages of the Islamic finance industry regionally and internationally. Reinforced by a well developed legal, regulatory and Shariah framework and with three decades of experience, our Islamic financial system offers a unique platform as a meeting place between those that require funds and those with surplus funds. Malaysia has the full complement of the financial infrastructure, products and institutions. This is reinforced by the adoption of international regulatory best practices and liberal foreign exchange administration rules. This environment has encouraged the issuance of ringgit denominated sukuk by multilateral institutions and foreign multinational corporations in our market. It has also increased participation of investors in our Islamic financial markets. In a number of the sukuk issuances, the foreign subscribers (other than from Asian region) represent more than two thirds of total  2  BIS Review 146/2008  subscribers. Given the investment opportunities in the East Asian region, there are significant potential business activities, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.