Business Blog

The storm of bad publicity that hit confectioner Cadbury in Malaysia after its chocolates tested positive for traces of pork highlights the costly, religious minefield food companies must navigate as they rush to tap the surging USD 1 trillion global halal market.

The storm of bad publicity that hit confectioner Cadbury in Malaysia after its chocolates tested positive for traces of pork highlights the costly, religious minefield food companies must navigate as they rush to tap the surging USD 1 trillion global halal market.

Rob and Paul Forkan, founders of Gandys Flip Flops, lost their parents in the 2004 Asian tsunami. Now they plan projects to help other orphans in India.

A major reason for investors to consider GCC bonds in their portfolio is the increasing depth and liquidity of the market for these instruments along with the exponential growth of debt market since 2000, said Mohieddine Kronfol, chief investment officer, Franklin Templeton Global Sukuk and Mena Fixed Income Strategies.

Al Islami Foods posted a profit of AED15.2 million last year from AED9.2 million in 2012, the company said on Sunday.

A large number of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are starved of funding because they have no access to both conventional and Islamic bank financing.