E-Newsletter

CEO's Message

It has been an eventful quarter for Pak-Qatar Family Takaful.

To sum up: we formed a number of strategic alliances to expand our reach and promote the cause of Takaful before a wider audience. For the Meezan Bank EasyHome customers, we will be providing free House Financing Takaful coverage that will cover not only Life but also accidental and natural disability. This is a pioneering step. Further, we will provide Group Family Takaful protection to all the members, students, and employees of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP)-Benevolent Fund.

Our BancaTakaful project is also on track. FWU AG, which is both our sponsor company and our strategic BancaTakaful partner, has signed MoUs with Emirates Islamic Global Bank, Standard Chartered, Dubai Islamic Bank and BankIslami whereby all their respective customers will be able to secure their family’s future the Islamic way through a host of Shari’ah Compliant Takaful products. We have also accorded a pact with IGI Investment Bank for the same.

In parallel, we have delivered presentations and given electronic and print interviews on different business platforms and mass mediums. Our talkshow on Takaful for the employees of Sui-Southern Gas Company was one such endeavor. My presentation at COMSATS MILES Entrepreneurship event for the business students, faculty, and local entrepreneurs was well-received judging their active participation and eagerness to learn even the intricacies of Takaful. I congratulate COMSATS Peshawar for arranging such an intellectual discourse.

This quarter we again saw the ups and downs in the economic and political life of our country. Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah thank Al-Thani, who is the member of the Supreme Council of the Royal Family of the State of Qatar and the Chairman Board of Director of Pak-Qatar Takaful, donated Rs. 10 million for the victims of Swat Operation. In addition, all employees of Pak-Qatar Family & General Takaful contributed their one-day salary for the same as well. This, we believe, was the least we could do.

Receiving the “Best Family Takaful Company in Pakistan” Award by the 1st National Achiever Award, Karachi, was however the highlight for Pak-Qatar Family Takaful this quarter. Earlier, we claimed second rank for the “Best Takaful Marketing Strategy” award. This was an international award conducted by World Takaful Summit 2009 in London, UK. Currently, we are nominated for the “Best Takaful Operator” award by the Islamic Business & Finance Magazine, UAE.

Alhamdulillah, the future for Pak-Qatar Takaful is looking very promising. Till the next quarter,

Fi Amanullah,
P. Ahmed

Investment Policy of Pak-Qatar Takaful
By Kamran Saleem, CFO & CS Pak-Qatar Family & General Takaful

The objective of the investment is to enhance the real returns through a well-diversified, prudently invested portfolio while considering liquidity needs, regulatory restrictions, and overall corporate strategy of PQFTL.

PQFTL has an active management style, using the fundamental analysis to determine asset allocation, and to select securities within asset classes. The Company believes in utilizing all information sources available at any point in time, including market information, in order to form informed views on the prospects of the markets and individual securities.

PQFTL being a Shari’ah Compliant Takaful Operator has to abide with the Investments’ Guidelines issued under Takaful Rules, 2005 and with any other law for the time being in force. The Company operates various statutory Funds, including Shareholders’ Fund; Participant Investments Fund; Participant Takaful Fund (PTF). Operators’ Fund, whose main inflow is the Wakalah fee and the Modarib fee, is also a part of Shareholders’ Fund, since Operators Fund has not been defined under the Takaful Rules, 2005.

The following guidelines are followed for investments of the surplus funds in the PTF, namely:-

(a) Investment in Shariah compliant Government securities.-Any Shariah compliant Government instrument such as Islamic bonds and securities restricted to eighty per cent of the funds; and

(b) Investments in immoveable property.-The Company may invest in immoveable property subject to the following conditions, namely:-
(i) the use and intended use of the property should be in compliance with the Islamic principles; and
(ii) return on rented property may be in the form of fixed rent but in case of delayed payments penalty may be charged and the penalty amount shall be given to charity.

(c) Investments in Joint Stock Companies.-The Company may invest its funds in joint stock companies. However, investments in non-Shariah compliant preferred stocks, debentures and interest based redeemable capital securities are not allowed. For investments in the common stocks of joint stock companies, the following guidelines are followed in consultation with the Shariah Board, namely:-
(i) The main business of the investee company must not violate Shariah. Therefore, it is not permissible to acquire the shares, debentures or certificates of the companies providing financial services like conventional banks or the companies involved in business prohibited by Shariah like alcohol production, gambling or night club activities, etc;- (ii) the Shariah Board shall take into consideration factors such as the proportion of income of the investee company from interest bearing accounts or non-Shariah based activities, the debt to equity ratio and cash or cash equivalents of the investee company. A screening criteria is available for those interested in further details; and
(iii) investment decisions shall be based on fundamental value of the companies instead of short-term speculations.

(d) Investments in redeemable capital.- The Company may also make its portfolio investments through various mutual funds operating under the Shariah principles and approved by the Commission. Before making any investment therein, the Takaful operator shall have the procedures and practices being followed by such funds scrutinized by its Shariah Board.

(e) Investments in redeemable capital.-The Company may invest funds in Shariah compliant instruments like Musharika Certificates, Term Finance Certificates (TFCs), Participation Term Certificates (PTCs), etc. However, in case of investment in redeemable capital it shall be necessary that the certificates are issued in compliance with the Islamic injunctions and the scheme of their issue be examined by the Shariah Board. The basic conditions as laid down earlier for investments in the common stock of joint stock companies should also be followed.

(f) Placement of excess funds with banks and Islamic financial institutions.- The Company may place a portion of their funds in liquid or short notice deposits schemes of Islamic banks and their branches or other Islamic financial institutions, placements in PLS saving accounts of Islamic banks and placement in current accounts of traditional banks without any return thereon.

(g) Financing under Islamic modes through the Islamic banks and financial institutions.-The Company may make arrangements with the Islamic banks operating in Pakistan to directly finance under musharika, murabaha, ijara (lease), salam, istisna contracts approved by the Commission.

Equity Portfolio:

With the approval of Shariah Board, the Company shall invest in stocks having upside potential, or earnings yield and meeting one of the following criteria.

a. Actively traded
b. Dividend yield
c. Growth prospects

Income Fund / Sukuk:

Company shall consider the following factors for investment in income instruments and Sukuk:

a) The general political and economic environment
b) Fiscal & Monetary policy
c) Supply and demand of Government and /or corporate bonds
d) Stock Market behavior.

The Company may invest in Sukuk, preferably in statutory liquidity requirement (SLR) eligible Sukuks.

The Company may also hold assets in the form of term deposits with Islamic Banks or Islamic Banking Divisions of the Conventional Bank with the object maintaining sufficient liquidity to meet the day to day operating requirements and to take advantage of suitable investment opportunities, as and when they arise. The expected return should be market competitive.

Economics Investment Outlook

The “To Do” List for Islamic Financial Institutions in the Wake of Global Financial Crisis:
by Salman Ashraf – MT Finance Dept. PQFTL

Shariah Compliance:
Shariah Compliance should be the top priority at this point in time for all Islamic Financial Institutions. This came as a saviour for most Islamic Financial Institutions as has been witnessed during the current financial crisis when comparisons are drawn with their conventional counterparts. This has been witnessed in the past too. Dow Jones Global Islamic Market Index was launched in the year 1999. This was the time when Sharia Stock screening criteria were formally implemented to ensure that investments were made only in Halal securities. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis were carried out to determine the universe of Halal equity investments. Using these methods it was noticed that stocks of World Com and Enron were de-listed from the list of Sharia Compliant stocks before their debacle due to their high levels of debt. So at that time the individuals and corporate investors aiming to earn Halal returns found a blessed way out from an impending finanical collapse.

Professional Asset Management:
In the present time when the returns from the equity markets are low coupled with low interest rates & high inflation rates, and excessive uncertainty, professional advice regarding asset management is a key to derive good investment returns in the future. Every Islamic Financial Institution has a different risk/return profile and and a different mix and nature of assets/liabilities. Having said that , professional advice should be sought from asset management experts who have experienced the financial meltdowns of the past.

Focus on the Core:
After experiencing a hit on the investment side, the focus and reliance on the core activities should be enhanced. For example, the Takaful companies should be focusing on selling their core products to increase their contributions , similarly the Islamic banks should be focusing on increasing their revenues through the sale of their structured products.

Future Expectations:
Considering the mushroom growth of the Islamic Financial Industry in the last ten years and the achievements it has had in the recent past, the prospects are bright.The Takaful industry has also come along to provide protection and support to the growing industry which includes Islamic Banks, Shariah compliant asset management companies, Islamic Hedge Funds and much more to come. Recent report on Takaful by Ernst & Young reveals that the Takaful contributions globally have grown from US $ 1.4 bn in 2004 to over US $ 3.4 bn in 2007 and this could increase to US$ 7.7 bn by 2012. However the realization of this expected growth in the Islamic Financial industry is dependent innovation within the confines of Sharia and a systematic approach to deal with the issues in the global financial markets which would eventually turn the challenges into opportunities.

Spreading the Message of Takaful

One on One

Pak-Qatar Wins the “Pakistan’s Best Family Takaful Operator” Award

The 1st National Achiever Award Ceremony was conducted in Karachi and which sought to acknowledge and appreciate the commitment and sincerity of different companies in their respective industries. Pak-Qatar Family Takaful was nominated for the “Best Family Takaful company in Pakistan”. The judging criteria for the award were stringent, objective, and transparent. The jury comprised of renowned industry experts, strategists, analysts, corporate personalities, and the economists of Pakistan. These panelists assessed the organizations through a unique judging process based on a combination of criteria including financial performance, leadership, creativity, innovation, and social responsibility. Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited was adjudicated as the “Best Family Takaful company” in Pakistan.

Pak-Qatar Takaful in Top 4 World Best Takaful Marketing Strategies 2009
World Takaful Summit Awards 2009 held in London, UK, nominated Pak-Qatar Family Takaful & Pak-Qatar General Takaful for the “Best Takaful Marketing” category along with SAAB Takaful (member of the HSBC Group), eTiQa Takaful, and Bank Aljazira respectively. This nomination acknowledged the marketing strategies of these companies as the best in the promotion of Takaful as a concept, its products, and the services it offered. The judges for the award included leading industry practitioners, researchers, analysts, and Shari’ah Scholars. Whereas Pak-Qatar could not win the award—SAAB Takaful did—it nevertheless still was an achievement in itself to get such recognition and nomination for this prestigious award given how young our company is.

“Best Takaful Operator” Nominations:
Completing just the second year of operations, Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited has been nominated as the “Best Takaful Operator” by CPIfinancial.net. This recognition, that too at an international front, is significant. Judges were asked to nominate financial institutions in these categories based on their expert opinion of a range of quantitative and qualitative factors. These included financial ratios such as growth in assets and profitability and took into account the strategic relationships, quality of customer service, products, and innovation. We, at Pak-Qatar, feel proud to be nominated for this prestigious award and pray to win it as well.

Strategic Alliances

Free Housing Finance Takaful Coverage for MBL Customers May 05:
Meezan Bank Limited (MBL) and Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited (PQFTL) signed an agreement whereby all housing finance customers of Meezan Bank’s Housing Finance (Easy Home) will be provided with comprehensive Shari’ah compliant Takaful coverage that will cover not only Life but also accidental and natural disability.

Irfan Siddiqui President & CEO MBL and P. Ahmed CEO PQFTL signed the Takaful agreement. P. Ahmed said that he is delighted to sign the Takaful agreement with the country’s pioneering Islamic Bank. He said that PQFTL is always looking for ways to provide value added products to the people of Takaful and that this agreement will pave the way for numerous benefits for MBL customers, to begin with.

He added, “By joining hands with MBL we would be able to reach out to many people who would otherwise not have had the benefit of a customer centric and Shari’ah compliant risk mitigation tool.”

Pak-Qatar & IGI Investment Bank signs MoU
July 24: Pak-Qatar Family Takaful (PQFTL) signed a BancaTakaful agreement with IGI Investment Bank whereby all the customers of the banks will be able to secure their family’s future the Islamic way through a host of Shari’ah compliant Takaful products.

Group Family Takaful for ICAP Members June 9:
Pak-Qatar Family Takaful (PQFTL) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan-ICAP have signed agreement according to which all the members, students, and employees of ICAP across the globe will be provided with an option of having Group Family Takaful protection through PQFTL ages between 18 up to 70 years.

P. Ahmed CEO PQFTL and Khaliq-ur-Rehman President ICAP-Benevolent Fund signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. According to the scheme PQFTL would provide Takaful coverage in case of natural death, double Takaful sum in case of accidental death, permanent disability (both due to sickness as well as accident) up to a sum of Rs. 2 million. It will be a contributory / non-contributory scheme where the participants will have the choice to pick benefit amount as per their desire and need.

FWU AG Signs BancaTakaful Agreements
FWU AG is a sponsor and strategic BancaTakaful partner of Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited. BancaTakaful, defined as distribution of Takaful products by a bank, is a convenient and a cost-effective means of becoming a member of a Takaful Plan. Plans are issued on the spot without any need for excessive documentation except the Customer ID Card.

FWU AG Signs MoU w/ Emirates Global Islamic Banking
Names are from right to left: Mr. P. Ahmed - CEO PQFTL, Mr. Richard Roth - Head of Operations EGIBL, Mr. Ahmed Zafar - Head of Organization Excellence EGIBL, Dr. Manfred Dirrheimer - Chairman of the Management Board FWU AG, Dr. Angela Dirrheimer - Member of the Management Board FWU AG

FWU AG Signs MoU w/ Standard Chartered Bank
Names are from right to left: Mr. P. Ahmed. CEO PQFTL, Mr. Mohib Yousufani. Head of Islamic Banking, SCB, Mr. Shahid Hameed Qazi. General Manager Wealth Management, SCB, Mr. Osman Bin Zahid. General Manager Branch Banking South, SCB, Dr. Manfred Dirrheimer. Chairman of the Management Board, FWU AG, Mr. Sohail Jaffer. Partner International Business Development, FWU AG

Corporate Social Responsibility

Pak-Qatar Donates Rs. 10.4 million to IDPs in the Spirit of Takaful

Pak-Qatar Takaful Group is actively involved in raising funds for the 3 million internally displaced refugees of Swat and Malakand Division, N.W.F.P. in the spirit of Takaful which is a system based on the golden principles of brotherhood and mutual solidarity.

Chairman Board of Director Pak-Qatar Family and General Takaful companies and member of the Supreme Council of the Royal Family of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Thani al-Thani has generously donated Rs. 10 million for the victims of the Swat Operation out of his own pocket. Furthering the spirit, the employees of Pak-Qatar have contributed a minimum one-day salary thereby raising the total funds to Rs. 10.4 million respectively.

A team was dispatched by the management of the Pak-Qatar Takaful Group to the Mardan area and Malakand Division for the disbursement of these funds. The places visited included Sher Gah, Jalalah, Charsadda, and Dergain where items such as clothing, utensils, toiletries, food and medicine was distributed amongst the displaced lot.

A tent city and other facilities were set up few hundred meters from the border of Malakand Agency. Approximately 3.5 acres of land has been specifically acquired on a six-month Ijara term for the relief camp. This camp is located in Sher Gah, the last town of settled areas of Pakistan on main Mardan-Malakand Road.

Initially arrangements were made for around 500 people and for which 100 tents were established but due to over-influx of IDPs we had no choice but to expand the tent city. The total registered number of IDPs has crossed 1600 to date. More tents are being setup to accommodate IDPs. Each tent has been provided with basic facilities including free food, medicine and a temporary school for the kids.

Moreover, a medical camp has been setup which is working round the clock with 5 doctors, 5 ambulances, a mobile medical unit and a para medical staff. The mobile unit roams around different camps, hospitals, schools, public places and villages of Mardan as well as Malakand Agency where IDPs have been accommodated. The camp and mobile units are provided with Anti venom kits and Glucometers as there is no such facility in any neighboring hospital.

Pak-Qatar Takaful Group is committed to continue to show its solidarity with the displaced families. This, we feel, is not just a part of our diverse philanthropy programs and initiatives towards realizing our corporate social responsibility, but an integral part of our vision, our mission, and our business model. We are dedicated to the cause of betterment of society and the improvement of the lives of people by promoting self-reliance through Takaful which is a Halal risk mitigation tool and an alternate to conventional insurance.

FAQ's

Pak-Qatar Takaful is a Financial Powerhouse
Q. The present economic situation of the country is fragile and there is widespread speculation about business losses in different financial industries. How can we trust and put confidence in Pak-Qatar Takaful with our hard-earned savings especially since these policies are long-term in nature i.e. running up to 20 years?

1. Please note that Pak-Qatar Takaful is registered and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). We received our license from SECP only after fulfilling all the stringent requirements under the Insurance Ordinance of 2000 (link). A copy of this license certificate is available on our website.

2. Both SECP and the Appointed Actuary (who is not an employee of Pak-Qatar Takaful) constantly oversees the operations of our company. Takaful and insurance companies world over are all specially monitored by regulators for solvency and our company is no different. Insurance Ordinance of 2000 has a dedicated section (Part V) on such solvency requirements. These measures ensure that a company does not position itself in a situation to run away without fulfilling its obligations.

3. There is also another requirement by the SECP in statutory deposit with State Bank of Pakistan. This deposit for Shari’ah compliant companies is in the form of investments in government Sukuk. The value of this Sukuk is equal to Rs. 10 million or 10% of the company’s paid-up capital which in our case amounts to more than Rs. 50 million respectively.

4. Pak-Qatar Family Takaful has been assigned an initial Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of ‘A-’ (Single A minus) by JCR-VIS Credit Rating Co. Ltd. Outlook on the rating is ‘Stable’. The rating incorporates company’s strong financial support from Qatar based financial institutions having sound credentials and further takes into consideration its institutional capacity and the technical competence to meet the participant and contract obligations.

5. Further, it is important to know that Pak-Qatar Takaful has already heavily invested in the expansion of branch networks (24 branches in 14 cities as of 3 August 2009) and the procurement of state-of-the-art technology in business system from Malaysia and SAP ERP which is approximately US$ 1.4 million in worth. This is a sizeable investment for any new company from a financial sector in Pakistan. The strength of our workforce is nearing 1000 people. Our goals for the next five years of operations are to further expand our branch network and build our workforce.

6. Further testimony to our financial strength, management expertise, and long-term commitment to our customers, is our impressive corporate clientele list. We are presently providing Takaful coverage to over 170 companies in only a span of two years business operations that include all the major Islamic Banks, multinationals, pharmaceuticals, universities, and so on.

Needless to say but Pak-Qatar Takaful is fully committed to become a leading Shari’ah compliant Takaful provider in Pakistan. For further information and details, contact the Marketing & Corporate Communications Department (info@pakqatar.com.pk)

Pak-Qatar believes in Customer Delight

Launch of 24/7 Call Center
We understand the importance of getting a problem resolved and an inquiry answered the way it should—promptly and accurately, and through easy access. Pak-Qatar does not believe in customer satisfaction. We believe in customer delight. We don’t want to just “meet” your expectations but to excel it. It is with this objective that we have decided to launch a 24/7 fully equipped Call center. The project is underway and soon our 111-TAKAFUL will find a whole new meaning, Insha’Allah.

Launch of “Voice of Customer”
Quality is a key ingredient for the success of any firm in today’s competitive business environment. By using quality monitoring tools, we intend to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through the provision of quality services in everything we do. One such tool is VOC – voice of the customer. This entails asking customers/stakeholders of their experiences with our services at all customer touch points – points of access to our company. A suggestion/complaint procedure seeks to capture the VOC.

We have launched a suggestion/complaint procedure for all key stakeholders of our company including employees, customers, vendors and others who play a role in Pak-Qatar’s operations. This will allow them to give suggestions to improve our quality of service and also aid in addressing any complaints stakeholders have. On a bi-monthly basis, a suggestion/complaint review committee will review inputs we receive and implement changes in our processes. Suggestions or complaints may be sent in any one of the following ways:

1. By filling in the suggestion/complaint form and putting it in the suggestion box placed near the reception at all offices
2. Contacting us though telephone at 0321-283-2723
3. Sending suggestions/complaints to suggestions@pakqatar.com.pk

In case of receiving suggestions/complaints at branch offices, Branch officers will mail the forms every 7 days to Mr. M. Zahid Sangharwi, who will act as a coordinator for the related activities.

You are encouraged to take active part in this procedure to make PQFTL a quality conscious company offering superior customer-focused services. For any further information you require, you may contact HR department or Mr. M. Zahid Sangharwi (zahir.sangharwi@pakqatar.com.pk)