Press Release

• Rasmala Trade Finance Fund (“the Fund’) was launched in September 2014 in response to increasing demand from investors for a diverse suite of Shari’a compliant investment products.
• The Fund which is active in private financing within the trade finance sector has recently crossed its three-year track record.
• Since its inception, the Fund has generated a cumulative return of 14.1% and has attracted a high-calibre pool of regional and international investors.
• The Fund is an absolute return strategy which remains well-positioned to mitigate the risks associated with a rising interest rate environment.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 27 September 2017: Rasmala Investment Bank Limited (‘RIBL’), the asset management subsidiary of Rasmala plc (‘Rasmala’), has announced that assets under management in the Rasmala Trade Finance Fund (the ‘Fund’) have recently surpassed USD 100 million, the Fund has attracted significant investor interest on the back of strong performance.

The Fund specializes in providing short-term structured and/or asset-backed liquidity to companies trading real assets in the real economy and has delivered 34 consecutive months of positive returns generating an annualized return of 4.5% for investors since inception. The Fund has seen interest from regional and international institutional investors as well as family offices, corporates, and high net worth investors.

For investors, the Fund provides a regulated Shari’a compliant investment vehicle to enhance and diversify their international asset allocation through an asset class that has limited correlation to the underlying volatility in traditional asset classes such as equities and fixed income securities.

Commenting on this achievement, Eric Swats, Senior Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased with the level of the Fund’s assets under management but more importantly that performance has remained so strong in the first three years of the Fund’s life. The high-calibre of investors the Fund has attracted is a testament to Rasmala’s positioning as one of the leading regionally based alternative investment management groups with an unparalleled ability to source and structure diversified trade finance transactions”

David Marshall, Head of Products at Rasmala, added: “We have worked on expanding the Fund’s asset base while matching inflows with investment opportunities. The team remains focused on tailoring products that offer clients real alternatives, especially with more traditional global assets looking so fully valued.”

Over the next two years, Rasmala is focusing on developing its alternative investment offerings through product development and strategic joint ventures. Rasmala expects to raise approximately USD 1 billion for its growing alternatives business.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Mouna Sounni

Senior Associate – Marketing & Communications

T: +971 4 424 2757

E: mouna.sounni@rasmala.com

About Rasmala

Established in 1999, Rasmala is a leading investment firm engaged in asset management and real estate. The firm provides investment management solutions to pension funds, family groups, corporations and government institutions. Rasmala plc is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and Rasmala Investment Bank Limited (‘RIBL’) is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (‘DFSA’). Rasmala Egypt Asset Management is regulated by the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (‘EFSA’).