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Click here for an event flyer for your noticeboard and general circulation.
Previous Event - July 4th 2007
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This event is designed to offer individuals and businesses a one-day introduction to Islamic Finance and to stimulate an increased awareness of the importance of Shari'a compliant banking, insurance, investment and trading. It is clear that many people know of Islamic Finance, but relatively few know about Islamic Finance.
The event is hosted by British Expertise (www.britishexpertise.org) who work very closely with UK Trade & Investment and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. UK Trade & Investment is the UK government organisation that helps UK companies develop business internationally, and overseas companies seeking to locate in the UK.
The event will also promote the City of London as a centre of excellence for Islamic Finance and The Securities & Investment Institute (SII) will 
be promoting the Islamic Finance Qualification which is a ground-breaking qualification that covers Islamic finance from both a technical and Shari'a perspective, providing the first international benchmark in the area of Islamic finance. Click here for more information.
The keynote address will be given by Alderman John Stuttard, The Rt Hon Lord Mayor of London. The conference facilitator will be Roy Leighton, Chairman of the Financial Services Sector Advisory Board (FSSAB).
Ian McCartney MP, Minister of State, Investment and Foreign Affairs fully endorses the FSSAB.
Please click here for a list of FSSAB members.
Another speaker at the event will be Ruth Hampton (HM Treasury).
Ruth Hampton works on Strategic Analysis in the Financial Services Strategy team at HM Treasury. Her role is to provide strategic analysis on key policy areas for the Financial Services sector. This includes work on some of the strategic priorities identified by the Chancellor's High Level Group on City Competitiveness, for example boosting professional skills in the financial services sector, and areas identified as high-growth, such as Islamic Finance.
Click here for a full list of speakers.
Islamic banks and financial institutions now manage some US$200 billion in funds all around the world. Although this is not much compared to the total assets managed by financial intermediaries around the world, it is growing rapidly and with no limit in view. Two of the key developments that have made this growth possible were in Bahrain - a key intermediary centre for Islamic finance instruments - and Malaysia, whose decision to adopt Shari'a compliant financial instruments as an integral component of its financial market have given the sector a general boost.
Islamic financial institutions have developed many more products to serve this market than the layman would imagine. Shari'a-compliant instruments are now available for housing and consumer finance, business loans and even project funding. One problem has been coping with the need for improved liquidity, and Malaysian and Bahraini experts have introduced tradeable Shari'a-compliant securities in response. These also have the potential to create a secondary market for institutional investors in the Islamic finance market. Several "Islamic equity" investment funds have also been launched, and both the London and New York Stock Exchanges have introduced indices to monitor this growing market.
Naturally, where there are products there must be regulation. Agencies have been created to address issues of Shari'a compliance, accounting and auditing standards, and central bank regulation. The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) will be launched later this year in Malaysia. This welcome initiative will lay the foundations for consistent regulation of the Islamic Finance market.
The major products used by the Islamic banks are naturally similar to those of the "conventional" banking markets. But until now there has been a shortage of pure risk sharing instruments (ones that share gains and losses shared equitably between investors and operators). The development of quoted tradeable instruments should remove much or all of this problem in the next generation of products.
What contribution has the UK made? Actually we have made a lot of progress towards mainstream Shari'a - compliant housing and other consumer finance products. Following a thorough consultation process, agreement is close to allowing such products to be launched on a competitive basis. We will very soon see them products being marketed by the retail financial institutions in the UK, to be followed by similar initiatives to serve the many Muslims in Europe and the United States. It is to be hoped that this is one way in which Muslim and non-Muslim communities will be helped to see that they have a great deal more in common than they may have thought.
We also plan to cover the following topics (full programme of subjects and speakers to be confirmed):
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The role, and importance, of Islamic Finance in today's business climate |
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Understanding Shari'a principles of finance |
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Why offer a Shari'a compliant product? |
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Currency Exchange |
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Unlocking the benefits of Islamic Finance for your business |
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Alternative positions on Islamic finance. UK, Middle East and Far East |
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Islamic banking products available |
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"Takaful"-Islamic insurance |
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Innovation and Risk Management in Islamic Finance |
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Legal frameworks available to ensure compliance |
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Restructuring business to be Shari'a compliant |
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Commodities and Carbon Trading |
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London-a centre for Islamic finance |
 www.internationaltradefocus.com |
 www.inceif.org |
 UK Trade & Investment |
 www.reuters.com |
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 Finance, Credit & International Business |
 Arab British Chamber of Commerce |
 The Institute of Export |
 The Institute of Credit Management |
 Offscreen Education Programme |
 FESTIVAL OF MUSLIM CULTURES Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales www.muslimcultures.org |
 International Financial Services London |
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London is establishing itself as the key Western choice for Islamic Finance so this event will be promoting the City of London as a centre of excellence for Islamic Finance. Other speakers include Professor Al-Awan, CEO of Furqan and Distinguished Professor of Islamic Finance at INCEIF, Kuala Lumpur (left) and Professor Mahmood Faruqui, Senior Advisor, The Bank of London and the Middle East (right), who are widely acknowledged to be world leading authorities on Islamic Finance.
Professor Al-Awan, Distinguished Professor of Islamic Finance at INCEIF flew in from Kuala Lumpur and Professor Mahmood Faruqui and key industry experts from H.M. Treasury, British Expertise, UK Trade & Investment and IFSL gave a fascinating insight to this rapidly growing industry, addressed key issues and stimulated discussion on a wide range of banking, investment and financial topics.
