FORUM EXPLORES ROLE OF SUKUK IN FINANCE OF LARGE PROJECTS - Sameer Abdi, Head of Ernst and Young’s Islamic Financial Services Group, said Sukuks should play a larger part in financing the estimated $1.5 trillion worth of infrastructure projects underway or announced in the GCC. Leading a Power Table discussion at the World Islamic Infrastructure Finance Conference (WIIFC) in Qatar, Abdi pointed out that infrastructure finance in the GCC is still driven by government expenditure. “While the spending on infrastructure is growing quickly year-on-year, Islamic finance’s share continues to decrease. Sukuks may offer the answer for several reasons.