Articles by Alastair Marsh
Sharia and sharia alike
Opinion on whether derivatives comply with sharia has split scholars in Islamic financial markets. Mohamad Nedal Alchaar, secretary-general of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, talks to Alastair Marsh about its…
Net results
A master agreement for over-the-counter Islamic derivatives is in the final review stages and could be published as early as next month. After years of debate, the difficult issue of close-out netting appears to be close to resolution. By Alastair Marsh
Playing catch up
With extreme volatility and liquidity concerns hitting Russia in the second half of 2008, large cracks were exposed in the country's bank risk management practices. Alexey Simanovsky, director of banking regulation and supervision at the Bank of Russia,…
Cutting hedges
Buoyed by a strong local currency and surging commodities prices in recent years, many Russian corporates eschewed derivatives to hedge risks. But with both the rouble and commodity prices plummeting in recent months, it may be time for a rethink…
Breath of Liffe
Amid fierce competition and regulatory scrutiny, the combined initiative by derivatives exchange Liffe and clearing house LCH.Clearnet for clearing credit default swaps was launched on December 22. Will the two companies have a first-mover advantage? By…
Feeling the strain
While Russia seemed relatively shielded from the impact of the financial crisis during the first half of the year, the turbulent events of September and October suggest that is no longer the case. Alastair Marsh reports