Asif Rahman is currently the director at Saadiq, CPBB (consumer, private and business banking), Standard Chartered Bangladesh.

Asif is a dedicated banking professional with more than 18 years of experience in the banking sector especially in segments, frontline and branch banking. He possesses extensive experience in sales, frontline communication, risk management, strategy development, product design, project management, customer service/complaint handling, mentoring and coaching. As the head of retail Saadiq, his objective is to design a country Islamic retail business strategy, aligned to group and country objectives, and ensure its in-country implementation. He is focused, service-driven and goal-oriented, with an enterprising work ethic and solid integrity.

Asif holds an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He successfully passed the CISI Level 3 Certificate in Islamic Finance program from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and completed LUMA Institute’s Practitioner Development Program and is designated a LUMA Institute Certified Practitioner of Human-Centered Design. He is currently pursuing the CIPA (Certified Islamic Professional Accountant) qualification offered by AAOIFI.

Hasan Mohammad Nayeem Rahman is the country manager of the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) in Bangladesh and is responsible for generating business through new and existing clients, ensuring the quality of the risk portfolio, and managing relationships with key stakeholders.

Hasan started his career with IDLC Finance, the largest non-banking financial institution in Bangladesh, as a management trainee in the Structured Finance Department. After a short stint with IDLC, he joined Citi, one of the leading global financial institutions, as a management associate and worked in multiple areas: global corporate and investment banking, global markets, finance and global transaction services. Hasan then moved into HSBC, another leading global financial institution, and worked initially in risk analysis and then in relationship management of the Corporate Banking Division, managing both local and international clients from diversified sectors.

In his 14-plus-year career, Hasan has gained extensive experience in financial and credit risk analysis, corporate finance, relationship management, trade finance, credit and investment insurance, business plans and strategies, and team management. Hasan completed his MBA with a major in finance from the Institute of Business Administration at the University of Dhaka, the premier business school in Bangladesh.

Professor Dr M Kabir Hassan is the professor of finance in the Department of Economics and Finance in the University of New Orleans in the US. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota in the US, and a Master of Arts degree in economics and a PhD in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also in the US.

Professor Kabir is a financial economist with consulting, research and teaching experience in development finance, money and capital markets, Islamic finance, corporate finance, investments, monetary economics, macroeconomics, Islamic banking and finance and international trade and finance. He has done consulting work for some renowned entities including, among others, the World Bank, the IMF and the IsDB and many private organizations. He was also elected a board member of the Ethics and Governance Committee and Education Board of AAOIFI.

Md Golzare Nabi is the general manager (research) and senior faculty at Bangladesh Bank Training Academy, Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh. His major research areas include money and banking, capital market, Islamic finance, Islamic microfinance, Islamic endowment (Waqf), conventional microfinance, rural finance, industrial finance, mobile financial services and remittances. He has published more than 23 articles in reputable refereed journals.

Md Touhidul Alam Khan is a multifaceted management professional with 30 years of diversified banking experience in setting strategies, conducting operational plans and establishing goals for credit, corporate and investment banking, sustainable development, sustainable banking, development economics, green industry, green banking, MSMEs, financial inclusion, anti-money laundering, public–private partnership and industrial management with competencies in originating and executing structured finance and syndication loan deals involving a variety of asset-backed securitizations in Bangladesh. He also has expertise in sustainability reporting and climate change.

Md Touhidul is presently the additional managing director, chief risk officer and chief anti-money laundering compliance officer of Standard Bank, Bangladesh. During his long banking career, he worked at Agrani Bank, Prime Bank, Bank Asia and Modhumoti Bank and held senior management positions in different capacities.

Md Touhidul is a fellow member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh, an associate fellow member of the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance in the UK, a certified professional and life member of the Basel III Compliance Professionals Association of the US and the first certified sustainability reporting assurer in Bangladesh.

Md Touhidul is also a contributor in business magazine Asian Banking & Finance in Singapore; an international correspondent of Islamic Finance news, the world’s leading Islamic finance news provider based in Malaysia; a contributor in The Asian Banker in Singapore; and holds numerous national and international prestigious awards to his credit for his writings. He is pursuing a PhD titled ‘Sustainability Reporting under Global Reporting Initiative: A Study on Private Commercial Banks in Bangladesh’.

Dr Mizanur Rahman is a commissioner of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, the apex regulatory body of Bangladesh’s capital market. He is also a member of the Bangladesh Financial Reporting Council, which is an independent government regulatory body of accounting, auditing and actuarial professions in Bangladesh. Earlier, Dr Rahman was a professor of accountancy and public policy at the University of Dhaka. Before that, he worked as a researcher in the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of the government of Japan in 2006–07. Then, he worked as an economist in the Asian Development Bank Institute in 2008–09.

Dr Natalie Schoon is a results-driven professional with a varied background across the financial industry including investment banking, treasury change management, capital adequacy, wholesale banknote operations, regulatory change (Basel Accords), risk management, compliance and Islamic finance. She has lived and worked in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Africa and works for both small and large international organizations globally.

Among others, Natalie was responsible for the design, implementation, management and succession planning for the Islamic financial infrastructure for the Agricultural Development Fund (a USAID-funded program in Afghanistan) and has been instrumental in the design of a stand-alone solution for access to finance for women (Zahra). On behalf of GIZ, she has researched the lag of Islamic MSME finance. In her capacity as the head of product development for Bank of London and The Middle East, she was responsible for responding to consultation papers from the UK regulators, the Bank Operating Model and engaged with the regulator to complete the application for the banking license, as well as the development of new Shariah compliant product lines for the bank.

Natalie has managed training in credit risk, capital structure, statistics, economics and financial markets for a wide range of organizations globally. She recently finalized an extended regulatory change project for a UK-based bank covering the implementation of the recommendation of the Independent Commission on Banking, the successful completion of an application for the extension of IRB credit risk permission to additional legal entities, a gap analysis on the risk models for the implementation of IFRS9 and new regulatory changes for EBA and Basel 3.

Natalie works closely with the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment in the UK on regulatory workbooks for, among others, Cyprus, Dubai, Qatar, Palestine and Kuwait. She has worked on the minimum capital standards for mortgage lending in Pakistan to promote the primary and secondary mortgage market (The World Bank) and successfully designed the new rules and regulations for trading in Sukuk and derivatives as well as short-selling for the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission. She has worked on gender equality projects in Asia and Africa.

Dr Scott Levy is the founder of Al Waseelah, an award-winning Shariah compliant Sukuk issuance platform which includes structuring, arranging, originating and listing Sukuk. Dr Scott founded Al Waseelah in 2017 as a tech-savvy, cost-efficient way to creating Shariah compliant instruments; democratization for both issuers and investors.

Al Waseelah is dedicated to the global growth of Islamic capital markets through its comprehensive runway for international capital-raising, and its active participation in global dialogue through Islamic Finance news and the International Islamic Financial Market. Al Waseelah is at the forefront of ESG/SDG integration to Sukuk, being one of the Islamic finance institutions to commit to the Principles for Responsible Investment, and technological innovation, using the power of blockchain to bring transparency and accountability to each transaction. Al Waseelah has executed transactions across asset classes and currencies including green Sukuk Wakalah, corporate Sukuk, Mudarabah private equity liquidity structures and multicurrency liquidity management products.

With boots on the ground in London, Tallinn, Miami, Monaco, Dubai and Singapore, Dr Scott leads Al Waseelah’s global offering underpinned by a talented, dynamic, global, multicultural and multilingual team. Dr Scott is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers and the Worshipful Company of Musicians, a member of Lincoln’s Inn and a senior member of Wolfson College, Cambridge.

Shirley Zeng is an analyst with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group.

Based in Singapore, Shirley covers a portfolio of banks and non-bank financial institutions in South and
Southeast Asia.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Shirley was an auditor with KPMG Singapore, covering clients in the banking,
investment management and commodity trading industries.

Shirley holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

Dr Abu Umar Faruq Ahmad is the founding chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Board of Islamic Cooperative Finance Australia. He has a consulting, research and teaching background in Shariah and Fiqh Muamalat, with a special interest in Islamic economics, finance and banking. He has over 100 published research in books, book chapters, refereed conference proceedings and journals to his credit in the multidimensional areas of Islamic economics and finance, which include microfinance, social finance, laws and regulation, Shariah governance, corporate social responsibility, Fatwa shopping, Zakat and Waqf, Sukuk, corporate governance, insurance, reinsurance, dispute resolution, shares and equities, audit, money laundering, stock screening, liquidity management, corporate social responsibility, conscious capitalism and transaction cost. He has interests in researching Islamic business ethics, Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic capital markets, Islamic management, Islamic governance, cross-country analysis of Islamic finance practice, comparative review of Islamic and conventional banking, Shariah compliance analysis of Islamic finance products, fintech, blockchain, smart contracts, derivatives in Islamic finance contracts, women’s economic empowerment in Islam, role of Islamic social finance to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Fourth Industrial Revolution, and so on. He sits on the editorial boards of a few globally reputed top tier journals.

In addition to presenting research at 80 international conferences and webinars, Dr Abu has published in Thunderbird International Business Review ; International Journal of Emerging Markets; The Singapore Economic Review; International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management; International Journal of Law and Management; Arab Law Quarterly; International Journal of Business and Society; Journal of Public Affairs; ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance; Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues; Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research; Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics; International Journal of Ethics and Systems; International Journal of Islamic Thought; International Finance Review; Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance; and Review of Islamic Economics, among others.

Dr Abu has also taught in his native Australia and Bangladesh, as well as the US, the UAE, Malaysia, Brunei and Saudi Arabia, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels which include: PGDIB102 Shariah Framework for Islamic Banking; MAEF720 Islamic Financial Transaction II (Guidance College); CG-5102 Islam and Society (UBD); BI-5101 Islamic Jurisprudence (UBD); BA-2301 Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (UBD); BI-5105 Islamic Transaction (UBD); BA-2204 Introduction to Islamic Banking and Finance (UBD); BB-5110 Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility (UBD); BB-4203 Business Ethics (UBD); SH1002 Shariah Aspects of Business and Finance (INCEIF); DW-3001 Internship (UBD); BI-5303 Practical Training and Reporting (UBD); BUSS490 Internship (HBMSU); ISLM101 Islamic Culture (HBMSU); BUSS210 Business Ethics (HBMSU); BUSS401; and BUSS401 Business and Society (HBMSU).

Webpage: https://expert.ubd.edu.bn/umar.ahmad
Academia: https://kau.academia.edu/DrAbuUmarAhmad
SCOPUS: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=16052160800
ORCID & RESEARCH ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1523-1883
GOOGLE SCHOLAR: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jj8k64AAAAJ&hl=en
RESEARCH GATE: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abu_Ahmad

Ashikin Alam is a dynamic Finance professional with 4 years of diversified banking experience in Corporate Relationship Banking. He also has significant experiences in developing Corporate & SME Asset & Liability products, managing & growing the Islamic Finance Portfolio.

Mr. Alam is presently working as Associate Manager, Products, Policy & Portfolio Development, Islamic Banking Department, City Bank Limited, Bangladesh. Earlier, he joined City Bank as a Management Trainee and gathered holistic Banking business & operational knowledge. He has a proven track record of developing innovative Financial products. He was an important part of re-launching the Islamic banking window of the City Bank Ltd.

He is the board member of FASTER COMMUNITY Bangladesh Chapter. Ashikin completed his Bachelor & Masters from Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka with a major in Marketing. He has completed several leadership training by Success Vitamin by Pritha Dubey & other renowned leadership trainers. He has also attended Advanced Islamic Finance workshop by International Islamic Finance Corporation (ITFC), Management and operations of Sukuk by Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM).

Ashikin plays a leading role in educating related stakeholders about Islamic Corporate finance, Islamic Fintech for community development. His ambition is to offer disruptive and wide spread digital financial service with disruptive Islamic Fintech propositions to the MSME sector.

Professor Dr M Kabir Hassan is the professor of finance in the Department of Economics and Finance in the University of New Orleans in the US. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota in the US, and a Master of Arts degree in economics and a PhD in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also in the US.

Professor Kabir is a financial economist with consulting, research and teaching experience in development finance, money and capital markets, Islamic finance, corporate finance, investments, monetary economics, macroeconomics, Islamic banking and finance and international trade and finance. He has done consulting work for some renowned entities including, among others, the World Bank, the IMF and the IsDB and many private organizations. He was also elected a board member of the Ethics and Governance Committee and Education Board of AAOIFI.

Md Touhidul Alam Khan is a multifaceted management professional with 30 years of diversified banking experience in setting strategies, conducting operational plans and establishing goals for credit, corporate and investment banking, sustainable development, sustainable banking, development economics, green industry, green banking, MSMEs, financial inclusion, anti-money laundering, public–private partnership and industrial management with competencies in originating and executing structured finance and syndication loan deals involving a variety of asset-backed securitizations in Bangladesh. He also has expertise in sustainability reporting and climate change.

Md Touhidul is presently the additional managing director, chief risk officer and chief anti-money laundering compliance officer of Standard Bank, Bangladesh. During his long banking career, he worked at Agrani Bank, Prime Bank, Bank Asia and Modhumoti Bank and held senior management positions in different capacities.

Md Touhidul is a fellow member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh, an associate fellow member of the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance in the UK, a certified professional and life member of the Basel III Compliance Professionals Association of the US and the first certified sustainability reporting assurer in Bangladesh.

Md Touhidul is also a contributor in business magazine Asian Banking & Finance in Singapore; an international correspondent of Islamic Finance news, the world’s leading Islamic finance news provider based in Malaysia; a contributor in The Asian Banker in Singapore; and holds numerous national and international prestigious awards to his credit for his writings. He is pursuing a PhD titled ‘Sustainability Reporting under Global Reporting Initiative: A Study on Private Commercial Banks in Bangladesh’.