Lord Mayor Charles Bowman

We examine and discuss key issues and themes influencing global Islamic finance and investment including political risk, the performance of the UK and European Islamic banking sector in the coming year, regulatory and supervisory frameworks, green finance and the ascendancy of fintech – what will offer opportunity and what will disrupt? What is the latest assessment of Brexit and what does the panel expect to be the implications and opportunities for Islamic finance and investment?

Stella Cox CBE – Managing Director, DDCAP Group and Chair of TheCityUK Islamic Finance Markets Advisory Group

Bruno Martorano – CEO of ADIB UK
Charles Haresnape – CEO, Gatehouse Bank
Lord Mayor Charles Bowman
Duncan Steele-Bodger – CEO, QIB UK
Marco Lichtfous – Partner, Strategy and Operations, Deloitte Tax & Consulting
Nikhil Rathi – CEO, London Stock Exchange

We discuss the current environment in the UK and Western Europe for real estate investment and explore the continuing role played by Islamic finance. What are the latest trends, structures, themes and opportunities? We also assess the role technology plays and predict where disruption will be seen. Does tokenization in property and real estate finance offer an opportunity?

Abradat Kamalpour  – Partner, Ashurst

Adam Cavanagh – Chief Investment Officer, Rosette Merchant Bank
Mark Hucker – Managing Director, VG
Nicholas Judd – Founder and Head of Investment, 90 North Real Estate Partners
Pankaj Gupta – Co-Founder and CEO for the UAE, Gulf Islamic Investments
Sarah Gooden – Partner, Trowers & Hamlins

John Glen – Economic Secretary to the Treasury, HM Treasury

We discuss significant developments in domestic and overseas capital markets, including home purchase plan-backed securitization programs in the UK and the Saudi Arabian syndicated loan program. We also discuss the opportunities for listings and important issues such as the Shariah compliance of tradable debt instruments, ratings and the development and deepening of domestic Islamic secondary markets.

Khalid Howladar – Managing Director and Founder, Acreditus

Ahmed Choudhry – Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
Muhammad Gunawan Yasni – Member of National Shariah Board – Indonesian Council of Ulemas
Najib Al Aswad – Director, IFAAS
Nitish Bhojnagarwala – Vice-President – Senior Credit Officer, Financial Institutions Group, Moody’s Investors Service
Sultan Choudhury – CEO, AL Rayan Bank

We identify operational issues and challenges faced by Islamic financial institutions in the UK and Western Europe, where limited access to domestic, high-quality Shariah compliant assets make adherence to Basel III liquidity rules a challenge. What other supervisory and regulatory issues do Islamic financial institutions face and what are the solutions? What role does the Bank of England Shariah compliant liquidity facility play and what of structures such as commodity Murabahah?

Lawrence Oliver – Director and Deputy CEO, DDCAP

Amir Firdaus – Treasurer, Al Rayan Bank
Arshadur Rahman – Manager, Shariah Compliant Project, Bank of England
Mohamed Damak – Senior Director and Global Head of Islamic Finance, S&P Global Ratings
Mohammad Faiz Azmi – Executive Chairman, PwC, Malaysia

David Korslund – Senior Economist, Global Alliance for Banking on Values

Presentation Slides Here

Through a short, concise interview, we step outside the comfort zone and ask the tough questions the industry wants to hear.

Interviewee: John Sandwick – General Manager, Safa Investment

Interviewer: Tariq Alrifai – CEO, The Quorum Centre

Gold has come to prominence of late, either as an underlying asset or an asset class in itself. We take a closer look at recent financial products structured on or around gold and ask if the upward trend is set to continue.

Natalie Dempster – Managing Director, World Gold Council

John Durham – Manager – Depository, Gold Corporation, The Perth Mint
Philip Judge – CEO, Physical Gold Fund
Robin Lee – CEO, HelloGold

We assess the latest developments in fintech and analyze likely industry shifts, regulation and developments in product, distribution and delivery channels. We also discuss the role of fintech and tokenization in today’s banking and capital-raising environments. What are the latest approaches to incorporating coin offerings and cryptocurrencies into developed regulatory frameworks?

Tom Sleigh – UK Country Manager, Deposit Solutions

Herve Larren – Co-Founder, Global Crypto Ventures
Khalid Howladar – Managing Director and Founder, Acreditus
Nasir Zubairi – CEO, LHoFT
Zeeshan Uppal – Co-Founder, Yielders

Abdulla Al Awar – CEO, Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre

We examine responsible, ethical investment and green finance in the UK and Europe, and identify the prospects for Islamic finance and investment to thrive in this active sector. Do green bonds and Sukuk offer viable long-term investments and how can the industry address the relative scarcity of credible climate-related and low-carbon investment opportunities?

Stuart Hutton – Chief Investment Officer, Simply Ethical

Catherine Howarth – CEO, ShareAction
Kristina Alnes – Senior Advisor, Centre for International Climate Research
Martin Scheck – CEO, International Capital Market Association
Sean Kidney – CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative
Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad – CEO, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan

What is the real proposition for the Islamic asset management industry? Is it a thematic investment strategy or a viable, self-supporting industry? How big is the market and how large can it potentially become? Through an experienced panel, we discuss Shariah compliant asset management in the UK, Western Europe and the GCC. What’s next for real estate investment funds, REITs and private equity? Do Waqf-like structures provide an opportunity for the UK asset management industry? What role do products such as ETFs and Sukuk funds play in a diversified portfolio?

Tariq Alrifai – CEO, Quorum Centre for Strategic Studies

Alain Verbeken – Director-Financial Services,  Mazars Luxembourg
Ali Khokha – Senior Manager, PwC
Martina Macpherson – President, Network for Sustainable Financial Markets
Michael Rainey – Partner, King & Spalding
Mohammed Al-Hassan – Co-founder, CEO-GCC and Executive Director, Gulf Islamic Investments
Rachid Ouaich – Regional Managing Director, Wafra Capital Partners