Ruben Bombardi brings over two decades of legal expertise and strategic insight to the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority as General Counsel and Head of Regulatory Enablement. A dual-qualified lawyer, Ruben has a wealth of experience spanning financial markets, fintech, and regulatory compliance, positioning him as a key player in shaping VARA’s legal and regulatory frameworks. His career has seen him lead cutting-edge initiatives at some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions, including Standard Chartered, MUFG, Barclays Capital, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. At these institutions, Ruben played a pivotal role in advising on complex legal matters, overseeing cross-border transactions, and driving forward major fintech projects aimed at transforming traditional financial services. His deep understanding of regulatory environments and commitment to fostering innovation in finance are instrumental as VARA continues to establish itself as a leader in the virtual assets space. Ruben’s experience in balancing regulatory compliance with innovation ensures that VARA’s legal frameworks support responsible growth, investor protection, and the sustainable development of Dubai’s burgeoning digital economy.

Anita is an Expert in Office of CEO of the Capital Markets Authority of the UAE, H.E. Waleed al Awadhi. Prior to that she worked for over 12 years as an Associate Director Policy & Legal at the DFSA, DIFC. In her regulatory policy and strategy career she led projects on investment funds & asset management, recovery and resolution, Basel III, capital markets, digital assets, market infrastructures, benchmarks, client assets, derivatives and netting. Since 2019, she has been a member of the UAE Sustainable Finance Working Group.

Prior to that, Anita worked at the European Commission as Advisor to Commissioner Michel Barnier on a package of financial reforms following the GFC. She also worked as technical expert at the Commission’s DG FISMA on financial market infrastructures and derivatives reforms, CSD reforms, financial collateral and SFTs (repo and securities lending). She represented the Commission at the FSB Shadow Banking Taskforce, IOSCO WG on Client Assets and the ECB working group on SFTs and collateral. She also worked at BNP Paribas CIB and SJ Berwin in London.

Anita qualified as a solicitor with SJ Berwin in the City of London in 2010. She is a graduate of BPP Law School, University of Cambridge, Harvard Law School, College of Europe and University of Silesia.

Dr Areeba Khan is founder of Taqwa Invest – a fintech for retail investing in Islamic stocks, Commodities, Sukuk and SRIs. She has collaborated with several Islamic fintech and financial organizations worldwide – including Zoya Finance, Ethis, MRHB DeFi and Ratings Intelligence/Islamicly. A former Head of Business Development at AAOIFI, Areeba also served as an Assistant Professor at India’s Aligarh Muslim University.

Basheer Ahmad is a Senior Manager in the Markets division at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), where he leads strategic initiatives relating to Islamic finance and capital markets development activities.

In his role, Mr Ahmad focuses on strengthening Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) position as an international hub for Islamic finance. This includes initiatives spanning sukuk market development, retail participation, Islamic funds, market harmonisation, and stakeholder engagement. He also contributes to the implementation of the UAE Islamic Finance Strategy and collaboration with industry participants, government authorities, and international regulatory bodies.

Mr Ahmad has more than two decades of international regulatory experience, and he represents the DFSA in international consultative and working groups on Islamic finance and related regulatory matters.

He is a Barrister-at-Law from the Lincoln’s Inn, England UK, and is a Chartered Islamic Finance professional.

Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta is a Board Chairman/Member, Adviser and Investor in banking, markets, crypto, asset management, healthcare and technology firms. Since 2022, he serves on the board or advises globally regulated firms (Apex Group, Peregrine, AusGulf, Aarna Capital, Bunat Ventures, Point72 (DIFC), Trillium Ventures, Cohesion Asset Management, ICICI Ventures, Caravella Asset Management, Truleum Ventures, Liongetivity, RudoWealth, Liminal Digital Custody, Safar Art). He advises UAE, India and UK-based families and runs his Abu Dhabi based family office foundation which invests in funds, real estate and start-ups. An advocate for education and thought leadership, he is a visiting faculty member and sits on advisory boards at various universities in the UK, UAE and India. Besides advising and working with regulators in UAE, India and elsewhere, he also serves as the Chairman of the Middle East Stablecoin Association and Secretary of the Middle East Investment Management Association.

Dr Bhaskar’s previous full-time role was leading the market development of Abu Dhabi’s award-winning Financial Centre (Abu Dhabi Global Market – ADGM) and Financial Regulator (Financial Service Regulatory Authority) for the exchanges, crypto, digital banking, broker/dealers, venture capital, fintech, sustainable finance and commodities sectors. He was also responsible for Emerging Markets and Europe as a region. He helped triple AuM, making ADGM the largest regulated crypto jurisdiction in the world, quadrupled the number of broker-dealers and helped launch ICE Futures Abu Dhabi (trading a million contracts within six months), making ADGM the biggest hub for VC in the region.

Prior to joining ADGM in 2019, Dr Bhaskar was the Chief Operating Officer of UK Export Finance (GBP 90B Capital) at the Department of International Trade, UK Government.  His 30-year career included senior-level leadership, business development and transformation roles in investment banking, transaction banking, technology and consulting in HSBC, ABN AMRO, Citigroup and PwC.

He obtained a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bhopal, India; an MBA in Finance from Indore University, India; a PhD in Financial Modelling & AI from the University of Manchester, UK; a PhD in Terrorism and Politics from Kings College London, UK; a PhD in History of Spices from Brunel University, UK and is embarking on his next doctorate in Subtractive Sacred Architecture from University of Westminster, UK.

Christiane El Habre is Regional Managing Director-Middle East at Apex Group, a global asset management firm handling extensive Shariah investments and operating a unified cross asset-class platform. This former CEO of the FFA Private Bank Group, one of Lebanon’s leading investment firms, has also been a Board Advisor at California’s Hello Genius and Partner at the Elkho Group.

Christophe Lalandre holds a Bachelor’s degree through to Doctorate-level qualifications in International Economics and Finance from Sorbonne University in Paris, as well as the ESCP-Europe Diploma.

He began his career with BNP Paribas in Paris before moving to London to join a Group brokerage firm specialising in equity trading and asset management. He subsequently returned to Paris as Head of the Special Clients Unit before being appointed to establish the Group’s Private Banking operations in Abu Dhabi in 1997.

In 1999, Christophe joined Credit Suisse in Abu Dhabi, where he headed the bank’s local operations until 2004. He then relocated to Geneva to lead the team covering the GCC markets. During his tenure at Credit Suisse, he was recognised as the bank’s Top Client Advisor for the EMEA Region in 2007 and received the Investment Banking Success Collaboration award in 2009.

Christophe joined Lombard Odier in 2010 as Head of the UAE and Oman markets, based in Switzerland. In 2013, he relocated to Dubai as Managing Director of Lombard Odier in the United Arab Emirates. In 2019, he was appointed Senior Executive Officer of Lombard Odier’s branch in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), with responsibility for the GCC region.

He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Lombard Odier (Middle East) Ltd, bringing more than three decades of experience across private banking, wealth management and financial markets in Europe and the GCC.

Elias 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.

Eslam Anbar is the Founder and CEO of Phi Wallet and a technology entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience driving IT projects across the MENA, Europe, and Asia. His background spans FinTech, Blockchain, ERP solutions, and Cloud Computing Infrastructure in the UK and the EU. Throughout his career, he has founded, scaled, and exited multiple startups, while also building and bootstrapping IT business lines in Qatar, Malaysia, and the EU. Eslam has received training in precious metals trading, including Loco London, through the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), as well as training in Financial Development and Inclusion through the IMF. His work combines experience in blockchain technology with Islamic economics, with a focus on developing inclusive solutions for wealth creation and preservation. Eslam is also the author of Strategic Dimensions of Adopting Open Source Technologies as a National Initiative.

Fahad is a pioneering force in Islamic banking and fintech, with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He’s a visionary architect of Shariah compliant solutions, seamlessly integrating ethical finance with cutting-edge technology. This unique expertise has been instrumental in shaping Mabrook Canada’s groundbreaking framework, which blends traditional Islamic principles with next-generation digital assets infrastructure. Fahad is a globally recognized leader whose influence spans strategic brand positioning, international market expansion and fintech education. He has worked in leadership roles with major financial institutions and tech companies like Dubai Islamic Bank, Scotiabank and IBM in the US and co-founded TAIF, an award-winning Islamic finance education platform. He is leading Mabrook Canada’s launch of the world’s first AAOIFI compliant blockchain-powered Islamic tokenization platform, pushing the boundaries of ethical finance and Web3 innovation.

Fahd Chaudhry is Director of Client Coverage for the Middle East and North Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Türkiye at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). He joined S&P DJI in 2010 and is based in Dubai, UAE. In his role, he works to develop the passive market in his regions and works closely with clients to innovate, strategize and design products that serve the local markets across asset classes. Fahd has extensive experience in capital markets as well as commodity and fixed income markets, strategy, product development, marketing and selling passive solutions. Prior to joining S&P DJI, Fahd held multiple roles in the financial sector in various countries, which included trading and business development in Dubai, London, the US and Iran.  Fahd holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts in Boston and is fluent in English and Urdu.

Farah is the Director of Strategy and Growth for Hafiq, the Islamic window of Vault22 Financial Ltd. Previously co-founded Taqwa Invest, a DIFC-based fintech for Islamic retail investing. Has also worked with a Shariah advisory company previously.

She holds a doctorate in Inclusion and Diversity Management and brings more than seven years of experience in Islamic finance.

Husain is a vastly experienced banker who has been working within the Islamic financial marketplace for the past 30 years for various highly regarded regional and international financial institutions. Most recently, he held senior executive positions within MFAI (Jersey), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DMI Group. This followed his tenure as COO in the CMA-licensed Gulf Investors Asset Management Company.

Having started his career in banking in Bahrain, Husain was appointed the Regional Director and Head of GCC and Islamic banking at Societe Generale where he was based in Dubai. Prior to returning to Bahrain as CEO of Investment Dar Bank, Husain was the General Manager of ADNIF, the Islamic subsidiary of National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Ishaaq Osman is Business Development Lead at Victoria Capital Management (Mauritius) Ltd, an investment manager licensed by the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius. He leads distribution and institutional partnerships for the Perennial Global SP, a Shariah-compliant, multi-asset USD strategy launched in 2026 under Skye Investment Fund SPC (Cayman Islands), investing across Shariah-screened equities, primary-market sukuk, gold and cash under the supervision of an Amanie-led Shariah board.

With a focus on the intersection of African and Gulf Islamic finance, Ishaaq is responsible for investor engagement, offering documentation and cross-border structuring across Mauritius, the Cayman Islands, Africa and GCC markets. He works closely with family offices and institutional investors across Africa, the Gulf and Europe, with a particular focus on positioning Mauritius as a leading domicile for Shariah-compliant cross-border investment.

Ishaaq brings a practitioner’s perspective on the evolution of Islamic asset management and capital markets, with a particular interest in how emerging issuers, investment managers and new financial domiciles can facilitate the flow of Gulf and international capital into Africa’s growth markets.

James Sadler is Head of Debt Capital Markets & Structured Finance at Oman Investment Bank, based in Muscat, responsible for the origination and execution of public and private debt financing solutions. He has more than 20 years of investment banking experience in Europe, the US and the MENAT region, including 10+ years based in the GCC, and has led the execution of a wide range of conventional and Islamic financing transactions across sovereign, corporate and financial institutions sectors. James has worked on various significant Sukuk offerings from the CEEMEA region, including international and local currency issuances for issuers including the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the Government of Dubai and Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), as well as senior and capital Sukuk transactions for a number of regional financial institutions. Prior to joining OIB James headed DCM origination for HSBC in Saudi Arabia, and previously held senior DCM roles at Bank of America in Dubai and New York, BNP Paribas in Bahrain, and UBS in London. He holds an MA (Hons) from the University of Oxford.

Junaid Aziz is the founder of Cogmerce AI Advisory, a Dubai-based practice working across AI governance, safety, technical due diligence, and capacity building. He has over eight years of experience spanning AI strategy and implementation, investment advisory, and AI policy. Before founding Cogmerce, he spent five years at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office managing a portfolio of AI investments, assessing startup claims, technology risk, and deployment readiness across technology deals, and contributing to government policy advisory on AI ecosystem building. Cogmerce carries that method into private practice, aligned to international standards and frameworks including NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001 and the EU AI Act. He has trained over 7,000 executives in AI, machine learning, fintech and blockchain, and designed upskilling curricula for more than 48,000 mid-senior professionals across the UAE and GCC. He has served as full-time faculty at the Majid Al Futtaim Leadership Institute and as a subject matter expert with Pearson Education and NobleProg (UK). He is a certified AI Governance Professional (IAPP AIGP) and has contributed to the Center for AI and Digital Policy as a research group member.

Khurram Hilal is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Saadiq – the Global Islamic Banking business of Standard Chartered Bank. As a career Islamic Banker, Khurram has over 25 years of core Islamic banking experience across Consumer, Wealth Management, Private Banking, Transaction Banking and Financial Markets. He has led the development and roll out of the bank’s Islamic banking proposition across SCB footprint in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe and North America. Khurram is proud to have learnt from and worked alongside some of the top scholars in Islamic finance industry. He is an active contributor to the Islamic banking industry and regularly provides advice to regulators and industry bodies. Khurram is also serving as a member of the Board of Director of Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad, Malaysia, International Islamic Financial Markets (IIFM), Bahrain and Vault-22 a global fintech specializing in wealth-tech. In 2025, Khurram was recognized by The Asset as “The Islamic Banker of the Year” and by Digital Banker as the “Islamic Finance CEO of the Year”. Khurram holds an MBA from Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Pakistan and successfully passed CFA examination from CFA Institute, Charlottesville, USA. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in classical Islamic jurisprudence.

Luma Saqqaf is a recognized sustainable finance leader with more than 30 years of expertise in sustainable finance and investing, Islamic finance and entrepreneurship. With a distinguished career spanning leadership roles at three leading global institutions such as the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, Linklaters and Allen & Overy, Luma continues to play a leading role in the development of the sustainable finance ecosystem in MENA and IMEA regions.

Maya Marissa is a seasoned leader in Islamic finance and Shariah compliance, currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Sabiq Advisory. She spearheads the firm’s mission to seamlessly integrate Shariah principles across the full value chain of Islamic finance. With extensive experience spanning transaction services, strategic advisory, and infrastructure development, Maya brings a holistic and forward-thinking approach to the evolving landscape of Islamic finance. Her work is centred on addressing modern industry challenges while strengthening the operational and governance frameworks that underpin sustainable, Shariah-compliant financial solutions.

Moeen Qayum is an English-law qualified debt capital markets specialist, with experience of representing (corporate, financial institution, quasi/sovereign and supranatural) issuer and underwriter clients across a broad spectrum of conventional and Shariah-compliant securities offerings, with a particular focus on emerging markets. Moeen has advised on several innovative and landmark transactions and has consistently been ranked, since 2017, as a ‘Rising Star’ by the IFLR 1000 (Middle East) and The Legal 500 (UK), with The Legal 500 (UK) describing Moeen as a ‘key advisor to both issuers and managers’. Prior to Trowers & Hamlins, Moeen worked at top tier international and Magic Circle law firms in London and Dubai.

Dr Mohamed Damak is a Senior Director of Financial Services at S&P Global Ratings, covering financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa. He is also the Global Head of Islamic Finance at the rating agency, leading a global team of Islamic finance analysts.

Dr Mohamed has worked for S&P Global Ratings from 2006 to 2010, covering conventional and Islamic financial institutions in MENA. He then worked as a Principal Credit Risk Officer for the African Development Bank in Tunis before rejoining S&P Global Ratings.

Holding a PhD in Finance and a Master’s degree in Money, Banking and Finance from Universite Paris-Pantheon-Assas, Dr Mohamed also has a Master’s degree in Financial Institutions Management from Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Tunis.

Muzzammil Dhedhy is a financial services executive with extensive experience across risk, compliance and corporate governance, supporting the growth of businesses operating within highly regulated environments.

As Executive Director and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer of Hejaz Group, Muzzammil plays a key role in overseeing the Group’s risk and compliance functions while supporting its broader strategic direction. His work spans Hejaz’s financial services and technology businesses, including Halal Money, an investment app designed to provide simpler digital access to Sharia-compliant investment opportunities.

Muzzammil also serves as Executive Director of Wahda, bringing his governance and risk expertise to the development of a global Muslim app designed as a digital home for Muslims.

Across his roles, Muzzammil contributes to strengthening the governance and operational foundations that support Hejaz, Halal Money and Wahda as they continue to grow.

Omar brings more than 20 years of senior finance leadership experience across regulated banking and financial services in the GCC and Australia. A Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) with an MBA from the University of Manchester, he joins AGC from Al Hilal Digital Bank, where he served as Chief Financial Officer, implementing the bank’s digital banking transformation strategy and chairing the Asset & Liability Committee. During his tenure, he helped drive significant improvements in financial performance and capital strength.

Prior to Al Hilal Digital Bank, Omar spent six years at Boubyan Bank in Kuwait, where he served as Executive Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis and Head of Investor Relations. In this capacity, he led Sukuk issuances, Tier 1 capital raises and rights offerings. He began his career at KPMG before moving into senior finance roles across the Australian Commonwealth Government. Omar joins AGC at an important stage in the firm’s evolution from a focused AI venture investor into a multi-platform alternative asset manager spanning AI infrastructure venture capital, structured credit and European data centre infrastructure, all anchored on the AI economy.

AGC has emerged as one of the region’s active independent investors in AI and frontier technology, with a portfolio that includes Anthropic, xAI, Lambda, Tensordyne, Together AI, Field AI, Neura Robotics, Skild and Verda Cloud, among others. With his extensive banking expertise, capital markets experience and institutional perspective across the GCC and Australia, Omar brings a valuable combination of financial leadership and cross-market experience as AGC enters its next phase of growth.

Ritesh Agarwal joined the DCM team at Emirates NBD Capital in September 2014. Previously, he worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Mumbai office in the Capital Markets team where he helped numerous issuers raise both equity and debt. He is currently responsible for origination, structuring and execution of Debt Capital Markets solutions (conventional and Islamic) for clients across sovereigns, supranationals, financial institutions and corporates. He has helped clients across GCC, Asia and Africa raise over USD 50bn across senior secured, unsecured and hybrid instruments in public/ private format. Ritesh holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (India).

Ruggiero Lomonaco is Head of Islamic Finance at Mirabaud (Middle East). Prior to joining Mirabaud, Ruggiero managed an Islamic alternative investment platforms at Rasmala Investment Bank investing in Real Estate, Private Equity and Infrastructure. Ruggiero started his career as a Graduate Trainee at JP Morgan Chase in London after which he moved to HSBC Amanah as a portfolio manager for Islamic Funds, ABN AMRO as Head of Islamic Structured Products and subsequently to AGC Equity Partners where he set up an Islamic alternative investment’s platform.

Sabir is responsible for Banking & Markets business for Group Islamic Banking comprising Sukuk, Islamic syndications, structured finance. infrastructure & development finance, leveraged finance and global markets transactions globally. Worked on 300 plus sovereign, quasi sovereign, corporate and FI Islamic syndications and debt capital markets transactions, across multiple geographies, including a number of debut and award-winning deals.

Stéphane Brown is Chairman and Co-founder of ASAM. He is currently a board member of Malaz Capital, a Shariah Asset Manager. He previously served in roles spanning the GCC, Europe, and North America including Group COO of Arcapita and MENA COO at Morgan Stanley. His career also includes roles at JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Vineeta Tan is Managing Editor and Director of REDmoney Group, one of the world’s longest-running Islamic finance media houses. Vineeta oversees REDmoney Group’s stable of products including Islamic Finance news, IFN Fintech and Islamic Sustainable Finance & Investment. With over a decade of experience in the journalism and publishing industry, Vineeta specializes in ethical and Islamic finance as well as fintech reporting and analysis covering regions including the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. As managing editor of IFN, Vineeta leads the editorial direction and business development of IFN and its sister publications in addition to authoring reports, producing podcasts and conducting video interviews. She has interviewed senior industry players, key stakeholders and senior dignitaries including the finance/economic ministers of the Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Vineeta is a regular on the international conference circuit as both a moderator and speaker. She has an MBA and is trained in Journalism and Sociology. Vineeta also holds the Islamic Finance Qualification awarded by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments, UK.

Mohammad Ali Allawala Head of Islamic Banking UAE, & Head Wealth and Retail Banking – Group Islamic Banking

Mohammad Ali Allawala has 25-plus years of global experience, having worked in the UAE, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan. Mohammad Ali is currently working as the head of Islamic banking in the UAE as well as managing Standard Chartered’s global Islamic wealth and retail banking business covering the UAE, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Indonesia and Brunei.

Previously, Mohammad Ali has performed senior management roles including CEO at Standard Chartered Saadiq in Malaysia; head of retail banking at Samba Pakistan; and cards business/portfolio manager at Samba Saudi Arabia and Citibank Egypt. He has extensive experience in launching new markets, business transformation, product management, distribution, digital banking, wealth management and marketing. As an advocate of fintech, sustainable finance and financial inclusion, Mohammad Ali has launched programs across geographies to create value in the Islamic finance ecosystem. His team has been recognized with multiple global and country awards such as ‘Best Islamic Retail Banking Group’, ‘Best Digital Islamic Bank’ and ‘Best Islamic Consumer Banker in Pakistan’. He is passionate about people development and is a certified master life coach of neuro linguistic programming. Ali has an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan.

Ali Ozyon is a marketing and technology executive focused on building brands and experiences designed to better serve Muslim communities.

As Chief Marketing Officer of Hejaz Group, Ali plays a key role in shaping the Group’s brand, marketing and global growth strategy across its financial services and technology businesses. His work also extends to Halal Money, Hejaz’s investment app designed to provide simpler access to Sharia-compliant investment opportunities.

Ali is also the Creator of Wahda, a global Muslim app being developed as a digital home for Muslims. He plays a central role in shaping Wahda’s vision, brand and global positioning, with a focus on creating an experience that reflects the needs and values of Muslims today.

Across his work, Ali brings together brand, technology and culture to help shape the next generation of Muslim-focused products and experiences.

Basheer Ahmad is a Senior Manager in the Markets division at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), where he leads strategic initiatives relating to Islamic finance and capital markets development activities.

In his role, Mr Ahmad focuses on strengthening Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) position as an international hub for Islamic finance. This includes initiatives spanning sukuk market development, retail participation, Islamic funds, market harmonisation, and stakeholder engagement. He also contributes to the implementation of the UAE Islamic Finance Strategy and collaboration with industry participants, government authorities, and international regulatory bodies.

Mr Ahmad has more than two decades of international regulatory experience, and he represents the DFSA in international consultative and working groups on Islamic finance and related regulatory matters.

He is a Barrister-at-Law from the Lincoln’s Inn, England UK, and is a Chartered Islamic Finance professional.

Darius Nass is an Associate Director for Global Equity Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). He is based out of the Singapore office and is responsible for the product management of S&P DJI’s global index suites, including the S&P Global BMI, S&P Global 1200 and S&P Islamic Indices. In his role, Darius leads efforts to develop new benchmarks, promotes existing offerings and regularly publishes market commentary, analytical reports and research.

Prior to joining S&P DJI, Darius was part of the Nasdaq Index R&D team, where he was led product development initiatives for the APAC region.

Darius holds a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance from Singapore Management University.

Luma Saqqaf is a recognized sustainable finance leader with more than 30 years of expertise in sustainable finance and investing, Islamic finance and entrepreneurship. With a distinguished career spanning leadership roles at three leading global institutions such as the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, Linklaters and Allen & Overy, Luma continues to play a leading role in the development of the sustainable finance ecosystem in MENA and IMEA regions.

Mohammad Parekh is the Founder and Managing Director of MRP Premier Group, a leading real estate advisory firm based in London. He also serves as the CEO and Founder of Akhlaq Capital, a Shariah compliant real estate fund. Mohammed has over 17 years of experience in the real estate industry, specializing in investment and development acquisition, project management and affordable housing. He holds a BSc in Geography with Business and an MSc in International Real Estate and Planning from University College London. Under Mohammed’s leadership, MRP Premier Group advises a diverse clientele, including private and public sector organizations, on a wide range of real estate projects. The firm has a strong focus on inward investment into the UK and outbound investment for its global network of high-net-worth individuals, primarily from the Middle East and Far East. Mohammed founded Akhlaq Capital to provide ethical and Shariah compliant investment opportunities in the real estate market. Akhlaq Capital focuses on generating income and capital growth through strategic investment in real estate assets and select development opportunities in key markets such as London, Jakarta, Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.

Sohail Zubairi is an expert and qualified specialist in Islamic banking and finance, including green Islamic finance. He is an AAOIFI Certified Shariah Adviser and Auditor as well as an IICRA Certified Islamic Arbitrator and Expert.

He served as Senior Adviser in Islamic Finance for the Government of Dubai from 2017 to 2023 where he managed all advisory matters related to Islamic banking, capital market, asset management, Takaful and re-takaful, green Islamic finance and Islamic trusts (Waqfs) based on his strong expertise and considerable contribution to the industry spanning over two decades.

Zubairi is the former Founding CEO of the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Dar Al Sharia Group established by him in 2007 as DIB subsidiaries, which developed a number of groundbreaking products and services for the industry. Under his leadership, Dar Al Sharia won over two dozen international awards for being the best Islamic finance consultancy and advisory firm – notably the Dubai Global Islamic Economy Summit Awards 2016, the 1st Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Awards 2016 and numerous IFN Awards.

Zubairi holds over four decades of rare combined conventional and Islamic banking experience at senior executive and CEO positions in UAE. Zubairi has a passion for Islamic finance and currently authors weekly articles for IFN. He also participates in various conferences and conducts training workshops. Zubairi has also developed and delivered the syllabus, course handouts, class presentations, quizzes, mid-terms and final examination papers introducing Islamic Finance at universities in UAE.