Faizal Salieh – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Amana Bank

Ajith Nivard Cabraal – Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka’s evolving political landscape and its impact on the development of Islamic finance
• Prospects for sovereign and quasi-sovereign Sukuk issuance and its role in advancing Sri Lanka’s Islamic finance industry
• Role of regulators and market players in attracting foreign investors from Asia and the Gulf
• Accessing liquidity for the development and growth of the domestic Islamic financial institutions: The need for capital
• Ensuring a collaborative strategy to encourage the success of both Islamic windows and fully fledged Islamic banks
• Assessing the impact of new domestic and foreign entrants in Sri Lanka’s Islamic finance space: How large a market can this be?

Reyaz Mihular – Managing Partner, KPMG Sri Lanka

Ananda Silva – Senior Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka
Faizal Salieh – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Amana Bank
Krishan Thilakaratne – Chief Executive Officer, Islamic Business Unit, Lanka Orix Finance
M Afzar Alam Nomani – Country General Manager, MCB Bank

• How foreign market players and potential investors view Sri Lanka as an Islamic investment destination
• Outlook for sovereign and corporate Sukuk issuances – what foreign investors are looking for
• Analysing its progress thus far and steps needed to advance its development
• What sectors should market players and regulators focus on – food & agriculture, SMEs, PPPs
• The vital need to invest in marketing the Islamic finance concept and educating the market: lessons learnt from Malaysia and the Gulf
• Shariah considerations: Addressing the crucial issues of developing Shariah scholars and setting up Shariah boards

Suresh R I Perera – Principal – Tax & Regulatory, KPMG

Dr A D Priyanka Baddevithana – Managing Director, Housing Development Financing Corporation, Maldives
Ariff Sultan – Regional Director (Asia), IdealRatings
Harith Harun – Chief Executive Officer, Maldives Islamic Bank
Hitesh Asarpota – Director, Capital Markets & Structured Finance, Emirates NBD Capital

Suresh R I Perera – Principal – Tax & Regulatory, KPMG

Reyaz Jeffrey – Chief Executive Officer, Amana Takaful Life

• Addressing the vital need to narrow the spread between borrowing and lending rates
• Developing Islamic leasing products suited to Sri Lanka’s massive demand in the transport, trade and services sectors
• Challenges faced by Islamic retail banks: Stiff competition, Shariah concerns and the crucial need for innovative product structures
• Islamic microfinance: Outlook and future prospects for Sri Lanka
• Tapping existing opportunities in Sri Lanka’s Halal industry: How can Islamic banks and Islamic windows benefit from this growing market
• Recognizing the need for structured programs to develop qualified talent in the Islamic finance sector

Muhammad Azad Zaheed – Associate Director, Adl Capital

Dr Aishath Muneeza – Head of Islamic Finance, Capital Market Development Authority, Maldives
Imran Nafeer – Head of Microfinance, Muslim Aid
Imran Zahir – Head of Islamic Banking, NDB Bank
M K S Mohamed Bishry – Chief Manager – Islamic Banking, Bank of Ceylon
Siddeeque Akbar – Vice President – Consumer Banking and Strategic Marketing, Amana Bank

Pathmanathan Asokan – Chief Executive Officer, Comtrust Asset Management

• Attracting foreign investments for infrastructure projects: Prospects for public private partnerships and cross border financing from Asia and the Gulf
• Are Shariah compliant structures well suited to meet the needs of Sri Lanka’s infrastructure development projects?
• Outlook for Islamic unit trusts and private equity funds
• Addressing the need to develop new investment products catering to domestic and foreign investors in the retail and institutional space
• Developing innovative structures to serve Sri Lanka’s rapidly developing SME market
• Exploring the viability of establishing an Islamic real estate business in Sri Lanka through a Mudarabah fund model

Ishrat Rauff – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Adl Capital

Ammar Ahmed – Consultant, Dar Al Sharia
Fazly Marikar – Head of New Product Development and Gold Unit, Amana Bank
Muhammad Shoaib Ibrahim – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, First Habib Modaraba, Pakistan
Tyrone Hannan – Head – Global Transaction Banking, Deutsche Bank

• Managing the issue of surplus liquidity in Islamic banks and action required by regulators
• Entrance of new market players and Takaful operators: Future growth prospects and challenges
• The crucial need to create a symbiotic relationship between Takaful providers and Islamic banks and windows to further develop the industry
• Finding solutions to the current tax restrictions in the repatriation of funds in order to grow foreign direct investments
• Impact of the credit ceiling on the growth and development of Islamic banks

Manil Jayesinghe – Partner, EY, Sri Lanka

Fazal Ghaffoor – Chief Executive Officer, Amana Takaful
Hisham Ally – Head of Islamic Banking, HNB
Mohamed Azmeer – Chief Operating Officer, Amana Bank
U L Muthugala – Additional Superintendent of Public Debt, Central Bank of Sri Lanka