The speed at which Islamic finance continues to grow is astounding. Global sukuk markets are booming and the rate at which ever more innovative shari’ah compliant products are being introduced to the market is equally staggering. Malaysia has made huge strides forward as a hub for sukuk, and the oil-rich Middle East has looked increasingly to international capital markets to finance their grander development projects. Meanwhile in Europe and the US, sukuk and other Islamic financial products are entering the mainstream and are no longer considered as a specialist structure developed for religious purposes. Following the summer’s credit crunch, and an inevitable across-the-board re-pricing of risk, Islamic structures are set to become even more competitive in the eyes of conventional borrowers.
Consequently, will 2008 be the year when Islamic finance is no longer considered as an “alternative investment” and become a vital funding tool in a CFOs toolbox? Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and Pakistan have all signalled that they have plans to develop Islamic finance. Meanwhile, as practitioners speculate about opportunities in countries all over the globe – such as India, China, continental Europe and North Africa – it is clear that Islamic finance is now a global phenomenon.
Euromoney Seminars’ 7th Annual Islamic Finance Summit will be your chance to hear firsthand from the leading industry practitioners about the latest deal activity and structures to emerge. Shari’ah scholars will reflect the fatwas that have been issued for new and innovative financial products, and government regulators will speak about how they intend to regulate and nurture the future development of Islamic finance in their respective jurisdictions.
Featuring an unrivalled shari'ah scholar line-up:
- Sheikh Hussain Hamed Hassan
- Dr. Mohamed A. Elgari
- Sheikh Nizam Yaquby
- Dr. Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani
- Sheikh Esam M. Ishaq
- Mufti Abdul Kadir Barkatulla
- Dr. Mohammed Daud Bakar
- Dr. Mohamad Akram Laldin
- Sheikh Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, Chief Shari’ah Officer, Shariah Capital
- Mahmoud El-Gamal, Professor and Chair of Islamic Economics, Finance and Management, Rice University
- Dr. Aznan Hasan, Assistant Professor, Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws and Shari’ah Advisor, Shari’ah Advisory Council, Bank Negara Malaysia
- Dr. Mohammed Burhan Arbouna, Shari'ah Board Member and Head of Shari'ah Compliance, United International Bank
Key issues to be discussed include:
- What new structured products have emerged and what further innovation will we see in this space in 2008?
- Is Islamic finance economically competitive to the conventional issuer?
- Globalisation of Islamic finance – what are the target markets for 2008?
- Is Islamic finance still considered an “alternative investment”?
<