30th November 2015
Le Meridien Hotel, Jeddah

About The IFN Saudi Arabia Forum

The IFN Saudi Arabia Forum, now in its 4th year consistently attracts global market players eager to gain access to the highly lucrative Saudi Arabian market. With its solid regulatory framework, and firm foundation in Islamic banking the Saudi Arabian market will continue to prosper and innovate.

As the kingdom continues its drive to open up more opportunities have become available to international banks eager to penetrate the local market. This year’s forum will once again bring together leaders in the local and global markets to share expertise and discuss cross border opportunities in this thriving market.

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Forum Agenda

09:00 – 09:15

Keynote Address

Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Ali Elgar

09:15 – 09:30

Keynote Address

Khaled Al Aboodi, CEO, Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector

09:30 – 10:15

The New Environment for Shariah Compliant Investment in Saudi Arabia

  • KSA’s new financial regulatory structure and its impact on economic growth
  • Effect of oil economics on the Islamic banking and capital market sector
  • What will a new KSA growth strategy look like for foreign banks and intermediaries?
  • Impact of CMA’s corporate debt market reform on Sukuk issuances and investment
  • The role of standards and global regulation in developing Islamic finance in Saudi Arabia

Moderator:

James Stull — Partner, King & Spalding

Panelists:

Dr. Hamed Hassan Merah — Secretary General, AAOIFI
Khaled AlAkeel — Head of Islamic Financial Services, SABB
Muhammad Currim Oozeer — Deputy CEO, Sidra Capital

10:15 – 10:40

Onstage Interview : Paving the Way Forward for Islamic Finance in Global Markets

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

Interviewees :
Khaled Al Aboodi, CEO, Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector
Prof Dr. Rifaat Ahmed Abdelkarim, CEO, International Islamic Liquidity Corp

10:40 – 11.10

Coffee & Networking

11.10 – 12:05

Project Finance and Capital-Raising: State of the Market

As an increasing number of non-traditional Sukuk issuers begin to assess the inclusion of Sukuk in their monetary policies and with infrastructure spending in developing countries set to reach US $1 trillion per year, much has been said about the use of Sukuk in financing infrastructure projects.

  • Considerations for debut issuers in Saudi Arabia
  • Market trends from a product, structuring and pricing perspective
  • What is driving the surge of Islamic capital raising in the KSA?
  • What’s in the global pipeline for infrastructure and project Sukuk? Where are we likely to see future mega-deals?
  • How will the current economic climate and commodity prices impact how infrastructure deals are done?
  • Saudi investments in the energy Sukuk market

Moderator:

Lawrence Oliver — Deputy CEO, DDCAP, United Kingdom

Panelists:

Hidayathullah Baig — Head of Project & Structured Finance, Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Arabia
Mahmoud Abdel-Baky — Of Counsel, Dentons Saudi Arabia
Mansoor Durrani — Senior Vice President & Head of Project Finance, National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia
Qudeer Latif — Partner & Global Head of Islamic Finance Practice, Clifford Chance

12:05 – 12:20

Presentation : Opportunities in Shariah-compliant Trade Finance

Nabil Marc Abdul Massih, CEO, INOKS Capital

12:20 – 13:45

Luncheon

13:45 – 14:30

Outlook for Treasury and Liquidity Products

  • New structures and trends
  • Opportunities and limitations in the QFI framework
  • The use of global Islamic commodity platforms in liquidity management

Moderator:

Abdulkader Thomas — CEO, SHAPE Financial

Panelists:

Lawrence Oliver — Deputy CEO, DDCAP, United Kingdom
Dr Sami Al-Suwailem — Head, Financial Product Development Center, the IDB
Tom Guest — Head of Global Marketing, Eiger Trading Advisors

14:30 – 15:45

Islamic Asset Management

  • Will a QFI license become a game-changer for fund managers in the region?
  • Looking beyond petrochemicals: Investment opportunities in high potential sectors and asset classes: Construction, aviation, healthcare, real estate and education
  • New players and product offerings in the Islamic asset management space
  • What effect will KSA’s new investment regulations have on fund managers in the region and how will the asset management landscape evolve?
  • How will global markets be affected by recently repatriated assets by Saudi Arabia?

Moderator:

Nabil Issa — Partner, King & Spalding

Panelists:

Bishr Shiblaq — Partner and Head of Middle East Office, Arendt & Medernach, UAE
Monem Salam — President, Saturna Malaysia
Walid Bin Ghaith — General Manager Asset Management and Chief Investment Officer, Al-Jazira Capital, Saudi Arabia
Zaheeruddin Khalid — Managing Director- Asset Management and Chief Investment Officer, Jadwa Investment, Saudi Arabia

15:45 – 16:15

Investments in Global Real Estate

  • Investment into the UK, Europe and the US
  • Outlook for investments in the GCC
  • Return expectation on income generating properties in key real estate markets
  • Outlook for income generating assets vs. Development assets
  • Asset backed vs asset based investments

Moderator:

Ali Al Hashimi — Managing Partner, Global Advocates, UAE

Panelists:

Chris Combs — Executive Vice-President, Head of Product Development and Distribution, Gatehouse Bank
Jean Philippe Besse — Founder, Parisian Real Estate Advisor
Robin Williamson — Managing Director, Real Estate Financial Advisory and Head of Financial Advisory, Saudi Arabia Deloitte Transaction Services

16:15 – 16:45

Coffee & Networking

16:45

End of the Forum

Forum Speakers

  • Abdulkader Thomas, CEO, SHAPE Financial
  • Ali Al Hashimi, Managing Partner, Global Advocates, UAE
  • Azzizi Mohamad Ghazi, Managing Director, Ableace Raakin
  • Bishr Shiblaq, Partner and Head of Middle East Office, Arendt & Medernach, UAE
  • Chris Combs, Executive Vice-President, Head of Product Development and Distribution, Gatehouse Bank
  • Giorgio Medda, CEO, Azimut Portfoy
  • Dr. Hamed Hassan Merah, Secretary General, AAOIFI
  • Hani Othman Baothman, CEO, Sidra Capital
  • Hidayathullah Baig, Head of Project and Structured Finance, Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Arabia
  • Imran Mufti, Partner, Hogan Lovells
  • James Stull, Partner, King & Spalding
  • Jawad Ali, Managing Partner, Middle East Offices, King & Spalding
  • Jean Philippe Besse, Founder, Parisian Real Estate Advisor
  • Khaled Al Aboodi, CEO, Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector
  • Khaled AlAkeel, Head of Islamic Finance Services, SABB
  • Lawrence Oliver, Deputy CEO, DDCAP, United Kingdom
  • Mansoor Durrani, Senior Vice-President and Head of Project Finance, National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia
  • Mohammad Kamran Wajid, CEO, Emirates Financial Services and Emirates NBD Capital, UAE
  • Mohamed Hamra-Krouha, Partner, Clifford Chance
  • Mahmoud Abdel-Baky, Of Counsel, Dentons Saudi Arabia
  • Monem Salam, President, Saturna Malaysia
  • Moulay Omar Alaoui, President & CEO, International AirFinance Corporation
  • Nabil Issa, Partner, King & Spalding
  • Nabil Marc Abdul Massih, CEO, INOKS Capital
  • Prof Dr Rifaat Ahmed Abdelkarim, CEO, International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation
  • Robin Williamson, Managing Director, Real Estate Financial Advisory & Head of Financial Advisory, Deloitte
  • Dr Sami Al-Suwailem, Head, Financial Product Development Centre, Islamic Development Bank
  • Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Ali Elgari, Shariah Scholar
  • Tom Guest, Head of Global Marketing, Eiger Trading Advisors
  • Walid Bin Ghaith, General Manager Asset Management and Chief Investment Officer, Al-Jazira Capital, Saudi Arabia
  • Zaheeruddin Khalid, Managing Director, Asset Management and Chief Investment Officer, Jadwa Investment, Saudi Arabia

Advisory Board

  • Bishr Shiblaq, Partner and Head of Middle East Office, Arendt & Medernach, UAE
  • Imran Mufti, Partner, Hogan Lovells
  • Kamran Butt, Managing Director, Head of Advisory and International Distribution, Sedco Capital
  • Mahmoud Abdel-Baky, Of Counsel, Dentons Saudi Arabia
  • Majid Abdulrahman AlGwaiz, General Manager, Commercial Banking, SABB
  • Monem Salam, President, Saturna Malaysia
  • Nabil Issa, Partner, King & Spalding, Saudi Arabia
  • Sabri Ulus, Head of Islamic Treasury Solutions, NCB
  • Muhammad Currim Oozeer, Deputy CEO, Sidra Capital
  • Nabil Marc Abdul Massih, CEO, INOKS Capital

Forum Partners

LEAD PARTNERS

LEAD LAW PARTNER

MULTILATERAL STRATEGIC PARTNER

ASSOCIATE PARTNER

EXECUTIVE PARTNERS

EXCLUSIVE KNOWLEDGE PARTNER

LANYARDS SPONSOR

RESEARCH PARTNER

LEAD MEDIA PARTNER

STRATEGIC MEDIA PARTNERS

MEDIA PARTNERS

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About REDmoney Events

REDmoney events designs, organizes and hosts industry-leading conferences, forums, roadshows, seminars and dialogues focusing on the Islamic financial markets across a global, regional and national level. Leveraging an exceptional network of the industry’s elite and supported by the expertise of the REDmoney publishing and seminars divisions, REDmoney Events are able to provide access to a unique array of influential speakers, panelists and participants from a cross-section of the global industry to debate the most significant issues affecting the Shariah compliant financial markets.

REDmoney events are differentiated by their complimentary yet qualified attendance structure, ensuring the highest quality of both delegates and contributors. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, attendance ensures exclusive access to the leaders in their field across all sectors and markets.

TThe annual IFN Asia and IFN UK Forums are categorically recognized as their continent’s leading industry events since their inception in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The Dialogues series has also become an integral element of the REDmoney events series and have cemented their position as leading, must-attend, events. In 2022, we introduced the Islamic Sustainable Finance & Investment Forum, which was an enormous success, and will become a mainstay.

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