Middle East

The Middle East region continues to attract significant global attention. With its vast wealth, demand for new innovative products, the growing interest of local managers to distribute worldwide, and a general investor desire for heavier regulation, there has never been a better time to be in the Middle East.

The Islamic Finance industry continues to show promise. While double digit growth is likely a thing of the past, interest in Islamic Finance persists, new investment products are being launched regularly, and growth in the Islamic investor base has not slowed.

Luxembourg

As one of the most prominent investment management centers worldwide, Luxembourg is perfectly equipped to address the dynamic needs of the Middle East region. The Luxembourg financial center has a number of key strengths that are instrumental to the growth of finance in the Middle East –

a wide range of products to offer;
flexible and proactive policy makers;
a regulator with an outstanding reputation; and
unmatched experience in global distribution.

Luxembourg has proven its commitment to the region as demonstrated by the numerous tax treaties established with the Middle East; our frequent business missions with extensive local representation to various Middle Eastern countries; the changes made to regulation to accommodate Islamic Finance products; and the abundant presence of businesses already established in the area (Publication: Luxembourg - The location of choice).

Our Team

Similarly, at PwC we have also made a commitment to the Middle Eastern and Islamic Finance markets. Within the Firm, we have identified business development in the Middle East as a key focus and have a team across all lines of business dedicated to serving its clients. Our team has hands on experience working with local businesses; we travel continuously to the region and work closely with our regional Middle East offices. Additionally, many of us have obtained Islamic Finance certifications (Flyer: Middle East and Islamic Finance).

We can provide a wide array of services, including:

accounting and assurance services to investment and sovereign wealth funds;
controls reviews around Islamic screening and fund accounting of Islamic products;
performing gap analyses on existing operations looking to expand into serving Islamic products;
regulatory and tax assistance in setting up investment funds (both Shariah compliant and conventional) including real estate funds, private equity funds, UCITS, SIFs and others;
assistance with distribution of funds both within the Middle East and globally;
providing general or tailor made training on the principles of Islamic Finance and the accounting for some of its products.

For more information and/or assistance, please contact one of our core Middle East team members.