Following on the success of the IFN Europe Forum 2011, we are proud to announce the 2nd IFN Europe Forum.
Generally recognized as the financial centre of Europe, and certainly the most active Islamic financial centre, London has again been chosen as the home of the IFN Europe Forum 2012, which will take place on the 30th & 31st October.
Senior industry players are invited to participate as delegates, and will witness the largest and most impressive gathering of industry practitioners ever assembled on European shores.
European countries stand to offer much to the realm of Islamic finance, all possessing individual strengths in terms of regulation, infrastructure, expertise and knowledge derived from a long financial history. Coupled with the opportunities Islamic finance has to offer to the region in terms of serving a growing Muslim population and increasing cross-border trade and investments with the Middle East and Asia, it is only a matter of time before Europe becomes a major industry player.
With the current turmoil in the EuroZone countries caused by debt and debt-based structures, the global financial community is increasingly looking at equity and risk-sharing; all which conform with the tenets of Islamic finance. A growing need for project and infrastructure financing, SME financing in countries such as Germany, increasing interest in venture capital and private equity; and diversification of funding and investments are also high on the agenda of the European governments. Big name players such as Allianz, Barclays, Credit Agricole, and Deutsche are already actively invested in growing their Islamic finance efforts, and show no signs of waning.
Demand for the Euro dollar from the Middle East is also expected to keep the European currency buoyant, and major Islamic finance players such as Gulf Finance House and Qatar International Islamic Bank have also been actively pursuing European investments; utilizing Islamic finance as a conduit for increased trade flows between the Middle East and Europe.
Ireland’s recently revealed aspirations to become the leading hub for Islamic finance in Europe, France’s increased efforts to adopt legislative measures, and the UK’s growing efforts in Islamic finance- as illustrated by government-led initiatives such as the UK Islamic Finance Secretariat- are all positive indicators of the region’s growing interest in Islamic finance and the potential it has to offer in sectors such as project financing, asset management, investments and Takaful.
Countries such as Luxembourg are steaming ahead in terms of product development and capitalizing on its strong position as an investment haven. It is currently home to 51 Shariah compliant funds, standing at US$500 million in assets and has 16 Sukuk issuances listed, amounting to US$5.5 billion, similar to the UK. Luxembourg is also set to issue its debut Sukuk in 2012; testament to the country’s commitment to growing its Islamic finance industry.
The 2012 Islamic Finance News Europe Forum to be held in London- currently the leading European jurisdiction for Islamic finance- will bring together key regulators and Islamic finance experts from Europe, the Middle East and Asia to share market experience, expertise, and provide insight on the potential Europe stands to offer to the global Islamic finance industry.
In October 2008 London hosted the first event in Europe by the REDmoney Group. Under the IFN Roadshow banner, this was a one-day event focusing primarily on the Islamic financial activities and prospects for the domestic UK market. This event ran again successfully in 2009 and 2010, when we also hosted a similar event in Paris for the French market.
Following these events we were approached by numerous others in Europe to host similar events in their countries. Although very tempting to expand the Roadshow model, we felt that one large annual event, similar to our flagship IFN Asia Forum, would provide the best solution for the European community. Hence in July 2011, the inaugural IFN Europe Forum took place.
With over 400 delegates from 42 countries converging on the city of London, the two-day event witnessed the strongest delegation of Islamic finance experts ever seen before in Europe.
The unique format, the IFN Forum series follows, allows all involved the opportunity to learn, interact and network in the shortest period of time possible. You only need to attend one of the two days, depending on whether you’re involved in the buy or sell side.
Abbas Khaku - Senior Analyst, Amiri Capital LLP
Abradat Kamalpour - Partner, Ashurst LLP
Ahmad Lutfi Abdull Mutalip - Managing Partner/Head, Global Financial Services and Islamic Banking, Azmi Associates
Alain Verbeken - Director, Cross-Border Tax, Deloitte Tax & Consulting
Andrew Sulston - Partner, Allen & Overy
Asim Khan - Managing Director & Head of Structuring, Dar Al Istithmar
Atif Hanif - Partner, Allen & Overy
Sheikh Bilal Khan - Shariah Scholar and Co-Chairman, Dome Advisory Ltd
Daud Vicary Abdullah - Chief Executive Officer, INCEIF
David Testa - Managing Director, David Testa Consultancy Limited
Dennis Cox - Chief Executive Officer, Risk Reward Limited
Eldred Buck - Managing Director, Eiger Trading Advisors
Emad Al Monayea - Vice Chairman, Managing Director &Chief Executive Officer, Liquidity Management House
Etsuaki Yoshida - Director & Senior Economist, The Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Fara Mohammad - Islamic Finance Consultant
Fawad Hussain - Director, Islamic Solutions, Royal Bank of Scotland
Gillian Walmsley - Head of Fixed Income Products, London Stock Exchange
Harris Irfan - Managing Director & Head of Islamic Finance, European Islamic Investment Bank
Jamie Durham - Partner, Allen & Overy
Keith Phillips - Executive Director, UKIFS/TheCity UK
Lawrie Chandler - Head of Europe, Asset Management, Emirates NBD
Professor Mahmood Faruqui - Senior Advisor, Bank of London & The Middle East
Massoud Janekeh - Head of Islamic Capital Markets, Bank of London and The Middle East
Mohammad Farrukh Raza - Managing Director, Islamic Finance Advisory & Assurance Services
Mohammad Khan - Partner, PwC
Mohammed Amin - Islamic Finance Consultant
Naomi Heaton - Chief Executive Officer, London Central Portfolio Limited
Natalie Schoon - Principal Consultant, Formabb Ltd & Member of Board of Advisors, Noriba Investing
Nigel Denison - Head of Treasury and Wealth Management, Bank of London & Middle East
Neil Miller - Global Head, Islamic Finance, KPMG
Pat Lardner - Chief Executive Officer, Irish Funds Industry Association
Paul Holland - Partner, SNR Denton
Philip Churchill - Founder Partner, 90 North Real Estate Partners LLP
Pierre Simon - Chairman, Greater Paris Investment Agency
Qudeer Latif - Partner & Head of Islamic Finance, Clifford Chance
Richard Tredgett - Partner, Allen & Overy
Safdar Alam - Chief Executive Officer, Siyam Capital
Said Qaceme - Senior Manager, Advisory, KPMG
Stella Cox - Managing Director, DDCap
Tariq Al-Rifai - Director, Islamic Market Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices
