24th November 2026
Kuwait
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IFN Kuwait Dialogues 2026
Introduction to 2026
Rooted in a strong regulatory environment and a robust economy, Kuwait’s Islamic finance market has consistently ranked top 10-largest by assets, bolstered by its resilient banks, many of which have made international impressions. In fact, Islamic banks command approximately half of the country’s banking assets – a feat only a few have achieved.
Kuwait’s banking position is further solidified by ongoing mergers and digital transformation sweeping the industry. Moving beyond banking, the Kuwaiti government has also finally introduced the long anticipated (and much needed) law that could pave the way for the country’s first sovereign Sukuk. A government offering will put the State in a good position to establish a pricing curve, and more importantly, encourage others to follow in its footsteps.
Investors from the region and farther afield are paying close attention to Kuwait with some of the industry’s biggest names making the State its regional headquarters to tap investment flows. How should one position itself to best capture such opportunities? We hear from industry stalwarts who will convene in Kuwait City for the carefully curated high-level IFN Kuwait Dialogues.
IFN Dialogues 2026
Since REDmoney events’ inception in 2006, we’ve always been at the cutting edge, delivering timely events in a format suited best to each market and sector.
IFN Dialogues were first introduced in Luxembourg, in 2014. Since then, we’ve developed the concept and are delighted to bring this format to the more mature and developed markets, which prefer open discussion and debate over the more traditional forum format.
IFN Dialogues are a series of extended discussions among leading regulators and the industry’s elite, gathered to discuss and identify the sector’s most pressing issues as well as emerging opportunities.
Seated at a round table, with selected observers, each 10-person Dialogue will run for approximately two hours.
Except for the discussion format, every other aspect is identical to an IFN Forum: Breakfast and Lunch Networking, Booths, Delegates, Keynotes, Q&A and Post Event Reports
Who should attend
- Brokerage Firms
- Consultancies
- Corporate & Investment Banks
- Custodians
- Family Offices
- Financial Service Providers
- Fund Managers
- Institutional Investors
- Insurance & Takaful Companies
- Law Firms
- Multi Family Offices
- Pension Fund Managers
- Private & Wealth Managers
- Private Equity Firms
- Rating Agencies
- Real Estate Investment Co's
- Regulators
- Risk Management Firms
- Shariah Advisory Firms
- Sovereign Wealth Funds
- Stock Exchanges
- Trade Finance Companies
- Trustees
- UHNW and HNW Individuals
- Venture Capital Firms
Dialogues Agenda
9:15 – 9:20
Welcome Remarks
9:20 – 9:30
Presentation
9.30 – 9.45
Keynote Interview
9.45 – 11.30
Accelerating Islamic Finance in Kuwait: Technology, Markets & the Sustainable Future
We explore how Kuwait’s Islamic finance sector, supported by active oversight from the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Capital Markets Authority, is advancing through digitalisation, regulatory reform, and sustainable finance. We will assess innovation in Islamic banking, liquidity tools, and digital service channels, as well as recent enhancements to Sukuk and capital markets regulation. The discussion will also consider the growth of green and ESG-linked issuance, the prospects for deeper sovereign and corporate participation, and the role of technology, including tokenised structures, in broadening market access and strengthening Kuwait’s financial ecosystem.
Panelists:Dr Ehab Elsonbaty, Partner, DLA Piper
Elias Moubarak, Partner, Trowers & Hamlins
11.30 – 12.00
Coffee
12.00 – 12.15
Presentation
12.15 – 14.00
Islamic Asset Management & Investment Products in Kuwait: From Funds to Tokenisation
Our second session examines the evolution of Kuwait’s Islamic asset management industry as demand grows for diversified, Shariah-compliant investment products. Panellists will consider opportunities across real estate, infrastructure, and regional Sukuk, alongside rising interest in ESG and impact-led strategies. The conversation will highlight innovative models, such as Waqf-based structures and digital investment platforms, and assess how tokenisation, P2P financing, and crowdfunding could expand investor participation. Attention will also be given to how regulation and Shariah governance are shaping the next generation of Islamic investment products in Kuwait.
Panelists:Hakan Ozyon, Group Chief Executive Officer, Hejaz Financial Services
Shahariah Shaharudin, President, Saturna Malaysia
14.00
Coffee & Networking
Dialogues Speakers
Dr Ehab Elsonbaty
Partner, DLA PiperDr Ehab Elsonbaty’s practice focuses on sovereign wealth funds, government advice as well as projects and affairs, corporate matters, corporate governance, sustainability, ESG and Shariah compliant legal services. He advises Middle Eastern entities seeking to do business in the Americas and American clients seeking to do business in the Middle East. Ehab’s extensive transactional and regulatory experience enables him to provide efficient and effective strategic legal support in a wide variety of business matters. Ehab is a strategic adviser to many boards or directors and advisory boards. He helps the firm deliver seamless cross-border solutions for Middle East entities. Among them are corporate enterprises, private equity investors, family offices, government entities and sovereign wealth funds. He helps clients maximize inbound and outbound opportunities arising from this dynamic region, providing comprehensive bilingual legal services and sensitive on-the-ground awareness of each geography in this diverse region. Before joining DLA Piper, Ehab served as Senior Legal Counsel and Head of Corporate Governance and Government Affairs and Senior Adviser to the General Counsel on Special Projects at the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. There, he was responsible for strategic, corporate, sustainability, ESG and special projects and transactions valued at billions of dollars as well as was a member of several management committees including the Management Investment Committee and the Crisis Management Committee. Earlier in his career, he served for six years as Senior Legal Adviser to the Amiri Diwan, the office of the Amir of Qatar at the Royal Court. During this time, Ehab was also a member of many policy and legal committees, among them the Permanent Legislative Committee of the Council of Ministers and the Committee for Review of Legislation as well as a Member of the National Committee to Review Commercial Laws of the Ministry of Economy and Trade. Ehab drafted and contributed to several laws and regulations of Qatar, GCC and Middle East. In addition, he served as a public prosecutor in the Egyptian public prosecution, and as a Judge in the commercial courts and was Assistant Minister of Justice for more than 15 years, most recently as a Judge in Cairo’s Court of Appeal. He is currently admitted to the Bar in Egypt and is a certified and practicing arbitrator and mediator and a Member of the Egyptian Judges Club. During his service in Egypt, Ehab was seconded to the Ministry of Justice’s Office for International Cooperation and Human Rights, was an Adviser to the Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology, a Member of the National Committee for Humanitarian Law, a Member of the National Committee for Counter-Terrorism and the national committee to control the public elections. He has provided consultancy support to several regional and international organizations such as the UN, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Council of Europe and the Arab League.
Elias Moubarak
Partner, Trowers & HamlinsElias is a Partner in Trowers & Hamlins’ International Banking and Finance Department. He has a broad range of experience both in the conventional and Islamic finance spheres. He has significant experience in representing the full spectrum of stakeholders on a range of banking and finance transactions including project and real estate financing as well as capital market issuances.
Hakan Ozyon
Group Chief Executive Officer, Hejaz Financial ServicesHakan Ozyon is the Group CEO of Hejaz, overseeing a global Islamic financial group managing more than US$4 billion in assets. He has led the launch of Australia’s first and only Islamic fintech and is now driving the expansion of Islamic fintech and digital financial infrastructure into international markets. Under his leadership, Hejaz has grown from a domestic financial services provider into a multi-market platform spanning asset management, fintech and technology-enabled ventures serving Muslim and values-driven investors worldwide. Hakan is a visionary leader with a long-term view of Islamic finance. He believes the future of the industry lies in strong governance, technological independence, and institutions built from within the communities they serve, operating at the same standards as the world’s leading financial organizations. His focus is on building durable systems rather than short-term products, positioning Hejaz as a global financial and digital platform designed to empower individuals, institutions and communities to participate in the modern economy without compromising their values.
Shahariah Shaharudin
President, Saturna MalaysiaShahariah Shaharudin is the President of Saturna, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna
Capital Corporation. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Studies from Knox College, Illinois and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from University of Illinois, Springfield.
Shahariah has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of fund management, stockbroking and commercial banking. She started her career in a commercial bank with extensive experience in retail banking, trade finance and corporate banking and later joined a stockbroking company, overseeing both the stockbroking and futures broking business. She also worked for a fund management house under the Strategic Business and Market Development Division where her core responsibility was sourcing business and servicing both retail and wholesale clients. She was CEO and an Executive Director of Kenanga Islamic Investors before joining Saturna in October 2018.
Shahariah speaks at Islamic finance and ESG conferences. She is passionate about Islamic investment and has participated in the Brunei Roundtable; presented in events in Shenzen, China; and was nominated in the ‘Top 10 List for Women in Malaysian Financial Institutions’ by a local magazine.
Shahariah is currently a holder of the Capital Market Services Representatives License for fund management.
Dialogues Partners
MULTILATERAL STRATEGIC PARTNERS
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD)
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) is a multilateral development financial institution and is part of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group.
The ICD was established in November 1999 to support the economic development of its member countries through the provision of finance for private sector projects, promoting competition and entrepreneurship, providing advisory services to governments and private companies and encouraging cross-border investments.
The ICD has an authorized capital of US$4 billion. Currently, the shareholders of the ICD are the IDB (50%), 53 Islamic countries (30%) and five public financial institutions (20%).
ICD mandate and objectives
The ICD fosters sustainable economic growth in its 53 member countries by:
- Financing private sector investment
- Mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and
- Providing advisory services to business and governments.
The ICD selects the financing projects based on their contribution to economic development considering factors such as job creation, Islamic finance development, contribution to exports, etc. The ICD also provides advisory services to governments and private sector groups on policies designed to encourage the establishment, expansion and modernization of private enterprises, the development of capital markets, best management practices and to enhance the role of the market economy. The ICD operates to complement the activities of the IDB in member countries.
The ICD is rated ‘AA/FQ’ by Fitch Ratings, ‘Aa3/P-1’ by Moody’s Investors Service and ‘A+’ by Standard & Poor’s.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tel: (966-12) 6361400; (966-12) 6441644
Fax: (966-12) 644 4427
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.icd-ps.org
The Islamic Corporation for The Insurance Of Investment And Export Credit (ICIEC)
Established 26 years ago in 1994 as a multilateral institution and a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group, the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) was tasked to promote cross-border trade and foreign direct investments in its member countries.
The ICIEC’s mission is to make trade and investment between member countries and the world more secure through the Shariah compliant risk mitigation tool. Its vision is to be recognized as the preferred enabler of trade and investment for sustainable economic development in member countries.
The ICIEC is the only multilateral export credit and investment insurance corporation in the world that provides Shariah-compliant insurance and reinsurance solutions.
Today, the ICIEC supports trade and investment flows in 47 member countries spanning across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Its target clients are corporates (both exporters and investors), banks and financial institutions as well as export credit agencies and insurers.
International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation
The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) is a member of the IDB Group. It was established with the purpose of advancing trade among OIC member countries, which would ultimately contribute to the overarching goal of improving the socioeconomic conditions of the people across the world. The ITFC commenced operations in January 2008 and has since consolidated all trade finance businesses that used to be handled by various windows within the IDB Group. Earning an ‘A1’ rating from Moody’s Investors Service reflects the ITFC’s efficiency in service delivery by responding swiftly to customer needs in a market-driven business environment.
Since 2008, the ITFC has provided more than US$40.2 billion of trade financing to OIC member countries, making it the leading provider of trade solutions for the needs of OIC member countries. With a mission of being a catalyst for trade development among OIC member countries and beyond, the ITFC helps entities in member countries gain better access to trade finance and provides them with the necessary trade-related capacity-building tools, which would enable them to successfully compete in the global market.
Contact us at:
Twitter: @ITFCCORP
Facebook: @ITFCCORP
Linkedin: International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)
Tel: +966 12 646 8337
Fax: +966 12 637 1064
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.itfc-idb.org/en
IsDB Group Business Forum (THIQAH)
The Islamic Development Bank Group Business Forum (THIQAH) is the window of the IsDB Group that facilitates contact and coordination between entities concerned of the IsDB Group and private sector firms and related institutions in IsDB Group member countries. The main objective of THIQAH is to establish a unique platform for effective dialogue, cooperation and inclusive partnership for business leaders committed to partnering in promising investment opportunities. Through facilitation and catalyst roles, THIQAH will be leveraging the IsDB Group’s resources to offer necessary services and confidence to investors and to establish strategic partnerships with the leaders of the private sector. The primary focus will be on maximizing cross-border investment among member countries to be supported by IsDB Group’s financial products and services. (www.idbgbf.org)
PARTNERS
DLA Piper
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, positioning them to help clients with their legal needs around the world.
They are the only international law firm with an on-the-ground presence in all six GCC countries, with nine offices across the Middle East, 29 partners and over 100 lawyers. DLA Piper advise on the full spectrum of legal services through seven dedicated practice groups: corporate; employment; finance and projects; intellectual property and technology; litigation, arbitration and investigations; real estate; and restructuring.
Eiger
Eiger Trading Advisors (Eiger) is a UK-based asset-trading and technology company founded in 2008, which specializes as an intermediary in Islamic financial products.
As a leading intermediary and technology provider within the commodity Murabahah space, Eiger has the unique capabilities to deliver Shariah compliant commodity trading solutions through the Eiger Trading Platform (ETP), a web-based trading system, that we tailor to our bank clients’ exact operational requirements.
The ETP automates the structuring and execution of Islamic banking products for wholesale and retail commodity-backed transactions, including two new enhanced modules:
- ETP Retail – A 24/7 STP platform designed to automate the end-to-end commodity Murabahah transactions underpinning retail banking products such as deposits, loans, CASA, credit cards
- ETP Client Reach – A bespoke middle and back office module designed to streamline Islamic treasury and derivative transactions, including execution and documentation with our clients’ clients.
Eiger is authorized and regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, and is both a member of the London Metal Exchange and an associate of the London Platinum and Palladium Market.
Hejaz
Hejaz is a leading financial institution that delivers a broad range of Islamic financial services across investment management, superannuation services, financial advice and lending to a large and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions and individuals.
Founded in 2014, the firm is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and maintains a presence all around the world.
IdealRatings
IdealRatings was incorporated in 2006 in San Francisco with a corporate objective to provide SRI/ESG and Shariah compliant solutions to ethical investors and enable them to identify such instruments across different asset classes in the global market. IdealRatings serves clients in over 30 countries with a range of capital market solutions including:
- Equities – A web-based platform covering over 40,000 stocks, where fund managers can screen equities using different, custom-built ESG/SRI/Responsible Investments and Shariah rulebooks or guidelines. This solution caters to different purification calculation methodologies with a comprehensive set of reports for fund managers to manage their portfolio.
- REITs – Global coverage of all listed REITs that could be screened in accordance with different standard Shariah rulebooks or guidelines.
- Indexes – Co-branded and jointly marketed by FTSE-Russell Indexes and a separate series with Thomson Reuters for the global markets, designed for fund management and investment benchmarking. In addition, IdealRatings is able to provide custom-built indexes for the fund management industry.
- Sukuk – A unique solution which includes the global Sukuk and a pioneering Sukuk-screening solution that enables fund managers to customize their Sukuk selection in accordance to their Shariah rulebook, guidelines or investment preference, and
- Brokerage – The solution provides broking houses the ability to screen global equity markets, a technical analysis of the markets and equities, buy/sell/hold recommendations and purification amounts.
S&P Dow Jones Indices
S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has become home to over one million indices across the spectrum of asset classes that have helped define the way investors measure and trade the markets.
S&P DJI has the longest history of providing Islamic market indices since the launch of DJIM World Index, the world’s first Shariah compliant benchmark in 1999. In 2006, the Dow Jones Sukuk Index was launched, which became the first index to track the performance of global Islamic fixed income securities.
Nowadays, S&P DJI offers two highly visible and widely used index families for Shariah compliant investors: The DJ Islamic Market (DJIM) Indices and S&P Shariah Indices. The two index families include thousands of broad-market, blue-chip, fixed-income and strategy and thematic indices that have passed rules-based screens for Shariah compliance and are the most visible and widely-used set of Shariah compliant benchmarks in the world. A majority of the largest asset managers in the Middle East, Southeast Asia as well as major banks/asset managers in Europe and the US that serve a Shariah clientele utilize S&P DJI to construct Shariah compliant investment strategies.
S&P DJI is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/.
Trowers & Hamlins
Trowers & Hamlins is an international law firm with over 150 partners and more than 900 people located across the UK, the Middle East and the Far East providing a full-service integrated offering to clients with local knowledge and expertise at its core.
Our distinguishing feature is that with 25 years of experience in the UK and the Middle East, we have a depth of knowledge of the Islamic finance industry that covers the entire spectrum from regulatory and corporate governance to capital market issuances and real estate investment. Our international team of multidisciplinary specialists will guide you on structuring your Shariah compliant activities to help you achieve a successful outcome.
With our growing office in Kuala Lumpur, our team now advises on Islamic investments, financings and products across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Registration
The Previous IFN Kuwait Dialogues
IFN Kuwait Dialogues 2019
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.
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Kuwait: Bond before Sukuk?
The Kuwaiti emir dissolving the parliament (for up to four years!) was the fire needed to compel policymakers to put aside…
Kuwait introduces new phase of market development to enable Islamic listings
Kuwait’s capital market has introduced the second part of phase three of its market development program…
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 cuttingedge, attendance ensures exclusive access to the leaders in their field across all sectors and markets.
The 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 have also become an integral element of the REDmoney events series and have cemented their position as leading, must-attend, events.
In 2024, we welcome the IFN Investor Forums, which coincide with the new IFN Investor portal.
For any inquiries contact us
Our team will be glad to answer any questions you may have about this event.