Islamic Finance Opportunities and Challenges in an Evolving Economic Landscape
  • IFN’S EXCLUSIVE IRANIAN PARTNER

  • IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Date: 10th June 2014 Venue: IRIB International Conference Center (IICC), Tehran

Agenda

08:00 - 09:00
Registration
 
09:30 - 09:45
Keynote Address: Securities Market Overview and Opportunities
Dr Ali Saleh Abadi - CEO, Securities and Exchange Organisation
 
09:45 - 10:45
Session 1: Islamic Capital Markets in Iran: Current Developments & Future Growth
  • Structure of the capital markets in Iran and comparison with other markets
  • Roles of market players and regulators
  • Regulation:recent developments and the current agenda to support growth
  • Developing the local sukuk market and the primary market to balance the active equity market and secondary market
  • Experience with domestic sukuk and outlook for domestic sukuk in 2014
  • Internationalising the Iranian capital markets: what would it take, what are the opportunities (both inward and outward) and challenges
  • Cross border sovereign and corporate sukuk issuance: what are the challenges, how can they be overcome and what are the opportunities
  • International capital market benefits for local companies exploring offshore opportunities
  • International settlement linkages
 
Moderator: Hooman Sabeti-Rahmati - Director, SDF Partners, Singapore
Panelists: Dr Ali Saeedi - Deputy for Supervision of Financial Institutions, SEO
Dr Behrouz Khodarahmi - Secretary General, Iran Institutional Investor Association
Dr Hassan Ghalibaf Asl - CEO, Tehran Stock Exchange
Dr Hamed Soltani-Nejad - CEO, Central Securities Depository of Iran
Dr Masoud Rahi - Deputy for Finance and Economic Affairs, Pars Oil Company
 
10:45 - 11:15
Coffee and Networking
 
11:15 - 12:15
Session 2: Key Issues Facing Foreign Players and Investors in Iran
  • Entry of foreign players into the domestic market - regulations, ease of entry, ownership rules
  • Understanding the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act (FIPPA)
  • Addressing regulatory challenges to ease foreign investor participation in the domestic investment markets
  • Key Sharia considerations for foreign investors and relevant Sharia differences
  • What foreign market players and investors seek, how they view Iran as an Islamic investment destination
  • What must the local market do to attract foreign players and investors
  • Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Portfolio Investment
  • What international investment structures may be appropriate in Iran
  • Dealing with currency exposure
 
Moderator: Dr Ghasem Mohseni - Director, SEO
Panelists: Abolfazl Koudei - Deputy, Organization for Investment Economic and Technical Assistance
Hamid Azarakhsh - CEO, Mofid Securities
Bishr Shiblaq - Partner, Arendt & Merdenach, Luxembourg and Dubai
Rouzbeh Pirouz - Chairman, Turquoise Capital
 
12:15 - 12:30
Presentation on Islamic Banking Intelligence: The First Comprehensive Global Islamic Banking Database and Analytical Dashboard
Innovation & Development Corp
 
Panelists: Omid Torabi - Managing Director, Innovation & Development Corp
Marjan Naseri - Senior Islamic Banking Expert, Innovation & Development Corp
 
12:30 - 14:00
Luncheon
 
14:00 - 15:00
Session 3: Banking Industry Landscape of Iran and Potential Foreign Participation
  • Structure of the banking industry in Iran, its features and challenges
  • Regulation: background, recent developments and the current agenda to support growth
  • Iran's changing landscape and its impact on the development of Islamic banking
  • New Islamic banking products and developments in 2014
  • What is the industry-wide strategy required to take Iran's Islamic banking sector to the next level
  • Cross-border trade: Pursuing investment flows from Asia and the Middle East
  • What are the opportunities to participate in Islamic banking in Iran: equity participation, free zone licences, joint ventures and others
  • Connecting Iran to the global Islamic finance market
  • What would attract foreign players into the banking sector
 
Moderator: Dr Farhad Nili - Director of MBRI and Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of IR of Iran
Panelists: Tom Guest - Associate Director, Eiger Trading Advisors
Mohammad Farrukh Raza - Managing Director, Islamic Finance Advisory & Assurance Services, United Kingdom
Hamid Tehranfar - Vice Governor, Central Bank of IR of Iran
Dr Parviz Aghili Kermani - CEO, Middle East Bank
 
15:00 - 16:00
Session 4: Potential Sectors of the Iranian Economy for Foreign Players
  • Potential growth sectors in the Iranian economy and opportunities for Islamic finance
  • Which sectors and classes of the Iranian economy are expected to perform well in 2014?
  • Outlook for Islamic asset and fund management
  • Government-linked investment and investment funds: prospects, opportunities and challenges
  • What are the borrowing needs and financing opportunities in the oil and gas sector
  • What are possibilities for dual listings or offshore sukuk for the industry
  • Outlook and opportunities in the power sector
 
Moderator: Dr Hosein Abdo Tabrizi - Senior Advisor, Ministry of Transportation & Housing
Panelists: Dr Seyed Ali Hosseini - CEO, Iran Energy Exchange
Datuk Noripah Kamso - former CEO, CIMB Principal Islamic Asset Management, Malaysia
Nicolas Poole - Chairman, PouyaFaraz Kish
Dr Mehrdad Sepahvand - Director of Foreign Investment Department, National Development Fund
 
16:00 - 16:10
Closing Remarks
 
16:10 - 16:45
Coffee & Networking