Date: 28th November 2016 Venue: InterContinental, Jeddah

Press Release

NOTE-TO-EDITOR
15th November 2016

IFN Saudi Arabia Forum 2016

To be held on the 28th November 2016 at InterContinental, Jeddah, the IFN Saudi Arabia Forum returns to the world’s largest Islamic banking market for the fifth consecutive year to discuss developing trends and opportunities in the country’s Islamic finance landscape. Saudi Arabia continues to be one of the most active and influential markets in Islamic finance today, with landmark steps including the opening of Tadawul to foreign investors, the potential for access to the Saudi debt market, expectations of a sovereign Sukuk issuance and booming asset classes including IPOs, real estate and project finance.

This year, we look forward to welcoming a lineup of influential international and local speakers to address the issues crucial to the development of Islamic finance in the Kingdom. We are honored to welcome Mohammed Elkuwaiz, the vice-chairman of the Capital Market Authority, who will participate in a special onstage dialogue as the forum’s opening session, during which we shall offer an update on the Qualified Foreign Financial Institutions Investment in Listed Shares (QFI) Rules and how the rules have impacted Saudi Arabia’s Islamic asset management landscape.

Following that, the forum will have an engaging session on Islamic real estate finance and investment activities in the GCC region, whereby Sharif El-Gamal, the chairman and CEO of Soho Properties, will share his insights and deep knowledge on the subject, having been involved in one of the main Islamic real estate deals this year in Manhattan. The next session will touch upon the interesting topic of Islamic bankers of the next generation, followed by the potential for Shariah compliant financing of Saudi Arabia’s mega deals, in light of recent economic developments unraveling in the Kingdom. Participants will be exposed to the exchanges between CIMB Islamic Bank, S&P, Clifford Chance and National Commercial Bank in this highly anticipated session.

Moving on to the fifth session of the day will be a presentation on the outlook of Islamic finance by Thomson Reuters, before Simply Ethical, DDCAP, IdealRatings and Arabesque Asset Management engage in a meaningful discussion about the integration of environmental, social and governance/socially responsible investing funds in the Shariah compliant marketplace. A presentation on equity investment opportunities into European and US real estate will follow shortly after.

The afternoon leg of the forum commences with a segment on Islamic capital-raising, in which HSBC Saudi Arabia, QInvest and King & Spalding will present their views on raising funds via private placement, a trend that has picked up pace over the last year. The final topic of the forum is one that is synonymous with Islamic finance and Middle Eastern investment trends especially in this difficult economic climate, as the panel will discuss the Islamic asset management industry and the potential for yield and wealth preservation, as well as the increasing role of financial technology in financial transactions.

Boasting a comprehensive agenda, covering a plethora of provocative issues and developments, the IFN Saudi Arabia Forum 2016 will once again gather industry practitioners from all over the world to discuss various ways and means to continue harnessing developments in the Saudi Arabian market as the industry strives to maintain sustainable growth.