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NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
4. Financial instruments
(continued)
B. Capital management
The Group’s objectives when
managing capital, which is a
broader concept than the ‘equity’ on
the face of statement of financial
positions, are:
i) To safeguard the Group’s
ability to continue as a going
concern so that it can continue
to provide returns for
shareholders and benefits for
other stakeholders; and
ii) To maintain a strong capital
base to support the
development of its business;
DMI itself does not engage in
banking business and is not
therefore required to comply with
any minimum capital adequacy
requirements.
In order to maintain or adjust
capital, the Group may adjust the
amounts of dividends paid to equity
participants, issue new equity or sell
assets to reduce debt. The Group
monitors capital on the basis of a
gearing ratio. This ratio is calculated
as net debt divided by total
capital. Net debt is calculated as
total borrowings less cash and
cash equivalents. Total capital is
calculated as equity as shown on
the face of the consolidated financial
statements.
C. Financial risk
management
The Group’s activities expose it
to a variety of financial risks
and those activities involve the
analysis, evaluation, acceptance
and management of some degree
of risk or combination of risks.
The Group’s aim is to achieve an
appropriate balance between risk
and return and minimise potential
adverse effects on the Group’s
financial performance.
The Group’s risk management
policies are designed to identify
and analyse these risks, to set
appropriate risk limits and controls,
and to monitor the risks and
adherence to limits by means of
reliable and up-to-date information
systems. The Group regularly
reviews its risk management
policies and systems to reflect
changes in markets, products and
emerging best practice.
Risk management is carried out by
individual entities within the Group
under policies approved by their
respective Boards of Directors. The
Boards provide written principles for
overall management, as well as
written policies covering specific
areas, such as market rate risk,
credit risk and use of non-derivative
financial instruments. In addition,
internal audit is responsible for
the independent review of risk
management and the control
environment. The most important
types of risk are credit, liquidity and
market risk. Market risk includes
currency risk, profit rate and other
price risk.
D. Credit risk
The Group takes on exposure to
credit risk, which is the risk that a
counterparty will cause a financial
loss for the Group by failing to
discharge an obligation. Credit
exposures arise principally in
lending activities that lead to
loans and advances (including
accounts receivables). There is also
credit risk in off-balance sheet
financial instruments, such as
loan commitments. Credit risk
management and control are carried
out by credit risk management
teams, which report to the Boards of
Directors through risk management
committees.
Credit risk measurement
The Group has well defined credit
structures under which credit
committees, comprising senior
officers with required credit
background, critically scrutinise and
sanction financing. The Group’s
exposure to credit is measured
on an individual counterparty
basis, as well as by groups of
counterparties that share similar
attributes. To reduce the potential
of risk concentration, credit limits
are established and monitored
in light of changing counterparty
and market conditions. Besides
financial, industry and transaction
analysis, the credit evaluation also
includes risk rating systems which
gauge risk rating of all customers.
32
Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust
Annual Report 2011