Abdulkader Thomas
President and CEO, SHAPE Knowledge Services
Date: 12th November 2019
Venue: JW Marriott Kuwait City
Attendees: 102
Speakers: 20 Speakers
Objectives of the Dialogues
The IFN Kuwait Dialogue will provide market players with an opportunity to come together and discuss how to advance and develop the Islamic Banking industry in Kuwait. The sessions will enable participants to share in-depth analysis, experiences, information and views that may be more appropriately discussed in a smaller, more exclusive environment. The Dialogues will also allow market players and regulators to provide bi-lateral feedback and suggestions on how the participation industry can be taken forward: what steps should be taken by regulators and how market players can assist.
Dialogue Floor Plan
Dialogue Agenda
09:00 – 09:05
Welcome Remarks
09:05 – 10:35
Aligning Islamic Banking and Finance for Success in Kuwait
- What needs to be done to further align Islamic banking with the aims, objectives and structure of the Shariah compliant Kuwait financial services industry?
- Discussing the economic development of Kuwait in line with Vision 2035: What is the potential of Islamic finance in the region?
- Analyzing the development of Islamic banking in the country and assessing the competition and consolidation within the sector
- Is the establishment of a centralized Shariah Supervisory Board a reality and what will this mean for the industry?
- What makes an ecosystem that promotes the successful integration of investors, accelerators and technology entrepreneurs?
- What are the latest developments in FinTech and likely industry shifts, regulation and developments in product and delivery channels?
Issam Al Tawari, Founder and Managing Partner, Newbury Consulting
Panelists:Ajai Thomas, CFO, Kuwait International Bank
Krishnakumar Kulanghat, Chief Dealer – Money Market and Investment, Commercial Bank of Kuwait
Madhurima Basu, Senior Associate – Banking and Finance, Al Tamimi & Co
Michael Rainey, Partner, King & Spalding
Nitish Bhojnagarwala, Vice-President, Senior Credit Officer, Moody’s Investors Service
Sudhakar Nibhanupudi, Group Chief Data Officer, National Bank of Kuwait
Yusuf Chorghay, Senior Director Structured and Syndicated Finance, Warba Bank
10:35 – 11:00
Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:30
Development of Islamic Capital Markets and Asset Management in Kuwait
- Where can Islamic capital-raising and asset management products and services play a role in Kuwait?
- What has the FTSE Coast Kuwait 40 Index meant for Kuwait’s capital markets?
- How can corporates and financial institutions in Kuwait diversify funding and capital raising programs?
- What is the potential of Waqf for capital markets in Kuwait? How is it typically structured and what are the main variations?
- Assessing developments for Sukuk and evaluating current market trends: will financial institution issuance continue, and will we see corporate activity in Kuwait?
- The next frontier: Where is the Kuwaiti asset management industry heading and how has the progress been for recent product innovations, particularly REIT and Sukuk funds?
- How effective are current capital markets and asset management regulatory frameworks in Kuwait?
- How have Shariah compliant investment trends and opportunities evolved across a range of asset classes in Kuwait and the region?
Alex Saleh, Partner and Co-Head of Office, Al Tamimi & Co Kuwait
Panelists:Abdulkader Thomas, President and CEO, SHAPE Knowledge Services
Ahmed Amin, Assistant Vice-President of Risk Management, National Investments Company
Christy Kulathooran, General Manager – Finance, Kuwait and Middle East Financial Investment Co
Michael Rainey, Partner, King & Spalding
Thuwaini K Al-Thuwaini, Chief Investment Banking Officer, Warba Bank
Zaineb Sefiani, Founder, Carrera Learning
12:30 – 13:30
Refreshments and Networking
Dialogue Speakers
Ahmed Amin
Assistant Vice-President of Risk Management, National Investments Company
Ajai Thomas
CFO, Kuwait International Bank
Alex Saleh
Partner and Co-Head of Office, Al Tamimi & Co Kuwait
Christy Kulathooran
General Manager – Finance, Kuwait and Middle East Financial Investment Co
Issam Al Tawari
Founder and Managing Partner, Newbury Consulting
Krishnakumar Kulanghat
Chief Dealer – Money Market and Investment, Commercial Bank of Kuwait
Madhurima Basu
Senior Associate – Banking & Finance, Al Tamimi & Co
Michael Rainey
Partner, King & Spalding
Nitish Bhojnagarwala
Vice-President, Senior Credit Officer, Moody’s Investors Service
Sudhakar Nibhanupudi
Group Chief Data Officer, National Bank of Kuwait
Thuwaini K Al-Thuwaini
Chief Investment Banking Officer, Warba Bank
Yusuf Chorghay
Senior Director Structured and Syndicated Finance, Warba Bank
Zaineb Sefiani
Founder, Carrera Learning
Advisory Board
Ajai Thomas
CFO, Kuwait International Bank
Alex Saleh
Partner and Co-Head of Office, Al Tamimi & Co Kuwait
Issam Al Tawari
Founder and Managing Partner, Newbury Consulting
Dialogue Photos
Dialogue Sponsors
MULTILATERAL STRATEGIC PARTNERS
EXECUTIVE PARTNERS
PARTNERS
LANYARD SPONSOR
MEDIA PARTNERS
Last Visit to Kuwait
Kuwait, an important market for Islamic finance with a long-standing commitment to Islamic banking and finance, is poised to have a growing Shariah finance industry with recent market developments.
Progress in the past year in Kuwait has paved the way for its growth as a pioneer in the Islamic finance industry. The latest, and potentially groundbreaking, development in the State of Kuwait is the amendment of the Public Debt Law. The draft law, which is under discussion, would potentially signal the nation’s first sovereign Sukuk. Kuwaiti investors have also been recognized for their active momentum not only in the GCC, but also in the US and Europe.
Kuwait continues to be a hot destination for investors in the debt capital markets, with the Kuwaiti bourse recently included in the FTSE Emerging Markets Index. The move is anticipated to encourage the flow of foreign investments into the Kuwaiti capital market. Investors and industry participants are keen on the Kuwaiti Islamic finance story, and the authorities have been a strong force in effectively advancing the industry and turning Kuwait into a contender among its peers in the Gulf region.
2018 will see IFN Kuwait Forum returning to Kuwait City, building on the previous successes and with the support of both local regulators and international participants to explore and encourage Shariah compliant investment opportunities into the country.
For any inquiries contact us
Our team will be glad to answer any questions you may have about this event.