Following on the success of the IFN Europe Forum 2011, we are proud to announce the 2^nd 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 30^th & 31^st 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.

An Introduction

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.

The History of the IFN Europe Forum

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.