In the News: Adnoc Distribution Granted Sharīʿa-Compliance Certification

This month, the UAE’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, Adnoc Distribution, was granted sharīʿa-compliance certification for its shares. As a result, brokerage units of Islamic banks will now be able to trade the company’s stocks. As further elaborated in a SHARIAsource expert analysis authored by Paul Lee, there are three models of sharīʿa compliance: (1) the systems-based model, (2) the centralized model, and (3) the model of competitive equality. These models have different costs and benefits for regulators, issuers, and investors. In particular, they vary across the following dimensions: (1) transaction and monitoring costs, (2) innovation and customization, (3) need for qualified scholars, and (4) effectiveness in ensuring sharīʿa compliance. The Adnoc Distribution’s new certification is meant to attract a broader investor base that deals through brokerages of Islamic banks and invests in equities marked as adhering to Islamic principles of investing. In a recent article for The National, Saeed Al Rashdi, acting chief executive Adnoc Distribution, shared “This certification paves the way for existing and new shareholders with a preference for Sharia-compliant stocks to invest in Adnoc Distribution.”

 

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