Best Islamic assurance and advisory servicesKPMG has won this award for many years thanks to the strength of its relationships to the highest level in Islamic countries, banks and corporations. This year we wanted to highlight the considerable contribution to the industry that has been made over many years by Ernst & Young’s benchmark research reports.
E&Y’s World Islamic Banking Competitiveness Reporthas become a closely watched indicator both of the headline numbers around Islamic banking assets and the more subtle indicators that matter more – profitability, return on equity, asset quality, governance and performance. There is a thirst for accurate data in Islamic finance, and the Ernst & Young reports generate trust and, consequently, widespread attribution. The reports go beyond provision of data by pointing out challenges the industry faces and ways to remedy them.
Similarly, its Global Takaful Insightsreport is the most widely cited research on that industry, bringing clarity to a corner of the system that badly needs it.
Naturally, Ernst & Young does the rest of advisory services to a high standard too, with an Islamic Financial Services Advisory team headquartered in Bahrain within the group’s Global Centre of Excellence.