For the last ten years, financial institutions in Saudi Arabia have been looking out for better Islamic refinancing opportunities in the Kingdom’s housing sector.
Today, opportunities to access liquidity and enhance balance sheet capacity got a little bit closer. Team SRC*, a team made of financial engineers, international consultants and lawyers, are working with us to secure Sharia compliant instruments for refinancing their mortgage portfolios. In one of the instruments we’ve designed jointly, SRC will hitch the portfolio of real-estate contracts using specially designed agreements for offloading existing portfolios; once the originator is released from ownership and associated risks a price will be paid to him for the asset, SRC will then retain the originator to navigate the servicing contracts with the lessees for a separate fee.
By freeing up the balance sheets of financial institutions, the newly designed Islamic refinancing instruments are expected to engage as catalysts of growth and stability for Islamic banks, mortgage finance companies and real-estate originators in the Kingdom – and by extension to the rest of the region.
So, congratulations to SRC for reaching this stage, and best of luck for the years to come!
*Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company
