Islamic Finance made in Germany: The 2004 Sukuk Issue by the State of Saxony-Anhalt

Abstract or Introduction

Those who live off the interest on loans will never stand up, except in the way those whom Satan knocks down with a fit rise up again. That is because they say: "Trading is just like taking interest." Yet God has permitted trading and forbidden taking interest (qurantoday.com, 2011). The German state Saxony-Anhalt, in July 2004, took the unprecedented step to benefit from this Islamic rule and raised debt in a new way. By issuing a “sukuk” debt instrument, conforming to Islamic principles, the Bundesland located in East Germany and by West German standards considered as under-developed was the first one among the OECD countries to enter a new path of raising public funds (rundschau-online.de, 2009). While there are until today no genuine Islamic banks in Germany – unlike the situation in Great Britain -, the ministry of finance of the state was convinced of the opportunities linked to such a financial structuring, aiming to raise €100m.
This report analyzes the given German sukuk issuance and compares and contrasts it to conventional products. For this, I will first give a general overview of the chosen product, describing the rationale behind the instrument, and then explain in detail the specific features relating it to Islamic finance. I will then discuss key differences and similarities of the financial instrument vis-à-vis regular products, including demand and supply considerations, before concluding by giving a view on the overall situation of Islamic finance in Germany.