Dr Mark Mobius, Executive Chairman, Templeton Emerging Markets Group, Franklin Templeton Investments

Global investment leaders share their views on which emerging, frontier and mature markets are expected to thrive in 2015 and which regions investors should look out for.

• How will global regulations impact the growth of Islamic investments in the coming year?
• Emerging opportunities in South Asia and the impact of geopolitics on the investment landscape
• Indonesia: Opportunities, challenges and future outlook
• What do Russia and the CIS region bring to the table?
• Outlook for Halal investments into North and South America
• North Africa and the GCC – what can investors expect from these regions in 2015?
• Islamic investment markets: Top picks for 2015

Rizwan Kanji, Partner, King & Spalding

Alex Armstrong, Managing Director, Head of Financial Institutions and Structured Finance, QInvest, Qatar
Emad Al Monayea, Board Director & Chief Executive Officer, KFH Investment, Kuwait
Linar Yakupov, President of the Islamic Business and Finance Development Fund, Republic of Tatarstan
Murat Cetinkaya, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey
Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim, Chief Executive Officer, International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation

• Agriculture investments: Where are we likely to see the most growth in the coming year?
• Investing in the current negative interest rate environment: What it means for risks and investment going forward
• How should investment strategy in oil & gas change in light of recent events?
• Will we see a significant shift towards the use of renewable energy, environmental assets and other intangible assets?
• Investing in aviation and other transportation modes as an asset class
• Recent trends in investing in real assets
• How will Basel III regulations affect global markets and investment strategy?

Monem Salam, President, Saturna Malaysia

Alka Banerjee, Managing Director, Strategy and Global Equity Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices, USA
Cassim Docrat, Director, DDCap (DIFC), UAE
Eric Swats, Head of Asset Management, Rasmala, UAE
Ritjana Ceveli, Managing Director, Asset Management, Ridge Capital, UAE
Tariq Al-Rifai, Head of Investor Relations, Kuwait Finance House, Author of Islamic Finance and the New Financial System, Kuwait

• What is the investment mandate for sovereign wealth funds in 2015
• How are equity & PE funds, fixed income funds, pension funds and VC funds shaping the Islamic investor’s portfolio: Will we see a change in current trends?
• Importance of the rise and prominence of HNWI and family offices
• Equity is the new fixed income

Ayman Khaleq, Managing Partner, Morgan Lewis

Behnam Gurbanzada, Director, Islamic Banking, International Bank of Azerbaijan
Giorgio Medda, Chief Executive Officer, Azimut Portfoy Yonetimi, Turkey
Mohammad Shoaib, Chief Executive, Al Meezan Investment Management, Pakistan
Mohieddine Kronfol, Chief Investment Officer – Global Sukuk and MENA Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton Investments
Tarek Selim, Chief Operating Officer, Arabesque Asset Management, United Kingdom
Saleem Khokhar, Head of Fund Management and Equities, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Samaya Ballroom

• Long and short-terms asset allocation strategies and trends for Islamic investors
• Asset mix and risk tolerance across asset classes
• How will current market conditions alter asset allocation strategy?
• How is the concept of passporting influencing offshore fund distribution and overcoming regulatory hurdles to fund distribution?
• How can the mechanism for distribution of funds in non-Muslim countries be improved? Will new regulations promote cross border distribution?

Bishr Shiblaq, Head, Dubai Representative Office, Arendt & Medernach

Brian J. Luck, Director, Investment Advisory, Asiya Investments, UAE
Jamaluddin Nor Mohamad, Director of Islamic and Alternative Markets, Bursa Malaysia
Kamran Butt, Managing Director, Head of Client Advisory & International Sales, Sedco Capital, Saudi Arabia
Muneer Khan, Partner, Simmons & Simmons Middle East

Crowdfunding is big news this year, with a groundswell of interest that has seen legislation introduced in the US, UK and several other jurisdictions as nations legitimize what is promoted as one of the few truly egalitarian and accessible forms of entrepreneurial start-up funding. The story has already swung into gear on the conventional side with a plethora of successful case studies – and with principles that perfectly match the platform of Shariah compliant SME support, is it a trend tilting on the edge of enormity for the Islamic world as well?

• How do crowdfunding principles match Islamic investing – and are there any areas where they don’t?
• Equity-based crowdfunding versus peer-to-peer and debentured lending: Where are the biggest possibilities and what are the challenges specific to Islamic financing?
• Danger ahead: What pitfalls are there for unwary investors and how can we protect against them?
• Why are there not more Shariah compliant crowdfunding platforms out there yet, and can we expect to see more in the coming year?
• The Malaysian government has supported a new platform on Bursa Malaysia: Why are more governments not encouraging this exposure?

Lauren McAughtry, Group Managing Editor, Islamic Finance news

Aamir Rehman, Managing Director, Fajr Capital, UAE
Craig Moore, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Beehive
Sam Quawasmi, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Eureeca
Zoe Van Weenen, Managing Partner, DURISE

Leading real estate investments specialists are asked what can be expected from real estate markets globally this year.

• Which real estate markets are expected to outperform, and why?
• How will falling oil prices affect real estate investments in the GCC?
• What further innovation can be expected in Shariah compliant real estate transactions in 2015
• In light of the global economic trends, what risks should real estate investors be aware of?

Jawad Ali, Managing Partner, Middle East Offices, King & Spalding

Henry Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Gatehouse Bank, United Kingdom
Philip Churchill, Founder & Managing Partner, 90 North Real Estate Partners, United Kingdom
Robin Williamson, Managing Director – Real Estate Advisory, Middle East, Deloitte, Saudi Arabia
Tim Rose, Head of Real Estate, Emirates NBD Asset Management, UAE