Sector Coverage

Financial Services

Every Report contains extensive coverage of the various aspects of the financial services sector. This includes an examination of the banking system, its strengths, weaknesses, regulatory system and trends, especially in areas such as mergers and acquisitions. The chapters detail the activities and growth of both domestic and foreign banks, with statistics on assets, deposits, liabilities, capital adequacy and the split between interest and fee income.

The local capital markets are also examined in depth. OBG reports on the development of the markets, their transparency, regulatory system and likely direction of activity. Movements in market capitalisation and the appetite for IPOs are scrutinised, as well as the varying appetites for the floating of large family-owned companies. Most Reports also carry an analysis of six prominent shares in the market.

In those countries or territories where it is appropriate – such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Malaysia – OBG reports carry a separate chapter on Islamic financial services, which covers not only banking and the development of new sharia-compliant products but also parallel activities in takaful insurance and the issuance of sukuks (Islamic bonds).

The concluding chapter on financial services examines both the insurance and reinsurance markets. Coverage includes premium growth trends in the various sectors, the relationships between giant international insurance companies and their local counterparts, as well as the opportunities for acquisitions. It continues with a look at the penetration rates of the sector as a whole, as well as identifying the biggest contributors to gross written premiums. OBG follows changes in the law, such as the introduction of obligatory health and other types of insurance, as well as monitoring the growth of the life sector.

Chapter Summary