Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
31
Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust
Annual Report 2013
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.
