Arbitration rule to grow Islamic finance assets

PETALING JAYA: The introduction of the world’s first Islamic arbitration rules last month by the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA) will pave the way for further expansion of Islamic finance with total global assets now estimated to be worth around US$1.2 trillion (RM3.72 trillion) to US$1.3 trillion (RM4.03 trillion).

Not only are the arbitration rules the first of its kind worldwide, it caters to both conventional and syariah-compliant commercial transactions and contracts as well.

KLRCA director Datuk Sundra Rajoo told StarBiz that with these new Islamic arbitration rules, the relevant parties to a dispute could have a complete syariah-compliant process, from the formation of the Islamic products right to the dispute resolution process.

Most disputes relating to Islamic finance ended up in civil courts where usually common law principles on conventional banking were applied, he said, adding that due to lack of expertise and precedents, the courts were less equipped to apply and interpret the relevant syariah principles where required.

Stressing the importance of such rules, Sundra said with the global Islamic finance sector already worth US$1 trillion and set to triple its value over the next decade, he foresee there would be more domestic and cross-border agreements and transactions, hence more disputes arising out of it.

The rules were also a great tool in support of the internationalisation of the Islamic finance, which complemented the Bank Negara Financial Sector Blueprint, he noted.