As Islamic financial activities are increasingly crossing national boundaries, it is critical for more such dialogues to take place at an international level, in order to gain wider perspectives that can contribute to the development of a legal framework for Islamic finance that is internationally facilitative. Islamic finance today has become a major industry worldwide with over 300 institutions and an estimated asset size of more than USD1 trillion. Its continuing advances in the international financial landscape have recently been accompanied by several major efforts aimed at strengthening its international financial infrastructure. A key structural enhancement achieved recently was the establishment of the Islamic Financial Services Forum (IFSF) that serves as a platform for cross-border engagement among regulators to achieve financial stability in the Islamic financial system. Another important development achieved more recently was the establishment of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) as a mechanism for more efficient management of liquidity across borders for Islamic financial institutions. These continuing efforts to strengthen the foundations of Islamic finance have served to ensure its preparedness in meeting the challenges on the path of internationalisation. As we open a new chapter of global growth and development with the unfolding of a new decade, Islamic finance is in a position of strength to play a greater role in the global financial landscape. Today, many jurisdictions are interested in Islamic finance and have taken initiatives to develop the industry.
But the tightness in the labor market may add inflationary pressure, a point in which I have already mentioned. Fourth, the private sector has shown much resiliency and adaptability. For example, in response to the appreciation of the baht, exporters have made increasing uses of foreign exchange hedging instruments. At the same time, the increasingly diversified export market structure has provided Thai exporters with cushions against the current slowdown in major advanced economies. As another example, many private firms, burned by the crisis experience, no longer over-leverage their balance sheets and turn to equity and retained earnings as major sources of funds. Fifth, the banking sector is now much healthier than even a few years ago. The BIS ratio of the entire banking system remained high at 15.3 per cent in May. Despite the economic slowdown, both ratios of gross NPL and net NPL to total loan declined slightly since the third quarter of last year. In fact, the outstanding amount of NPL declined in the last quarter. In addition, the implementation of IAS39 accounting standard in 2006-2007 and the preparation for the adoption of Basel II at the end of this year have together strengthened the stability of our banking system. With insignificant exposures to collateralized debt obligation (CDO) investments, the Thai banking sector as a whole is also immune to the U.S. sub-prime spillover. Last but not least, Thailand is among the world’s top places when it comes to the ease of starting and operating businesses.