17th November 2025
Sheraton Grand Istanbul Atasehir
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#IFNEVENTS2025
IFN Türkiye Dialogues 2025
Introduction to 2025
Türkiye is one of the brightest emerging stars of Islamic finance globally – and it is no surprise why. The Republic has all the right ingredients including a Muslim-majority population and strong support from the highest echelons of government.
With President Recep Tayyib Erdogan being a vocal supporter of Islamic finance, participation finance has grown tremendously over the last decade as local authorities put in place enabling policies and infrastructure. Today, Türkiye is home to six Shariah compliant banks, is an active participant in the sovereign and corporate Sukuk markets and is making great progress in the Halal funds sector.
The licensing of fully digital banks is likely to tip the scales further in favor of participation finance as three Shariah compliant digital banks are to join the arena and likely to push the country’s participation banking sector assets to break the 10% market share threshold.
How can Türkiye best harness its potential and capitalize on its growth momentum? The industry’s leading minds will share their recommendations and dissect in detail the issues the Republic faces and how to overcome them at the IFN Türkiye Dialogues.
IFN Dialogues 2025
Since REDmoney events’s inception in 2006, we have 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 have developed the concept and are delighted to bring this format to the more mature and developed markets, which prefer in-depth discussion and debate over the more traditional forum format.
IFN Dialogues offer an independent and impartial platform for the identification and resolution of specific issues, challenges and opportunities facing the industry through a high-level discussion designed to determine the potential development of a particular country, sector or asset class.
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
“ It has been a great pleasure for us to take part in IFN Türkiye Dialogues 2019. The event was very successful and beneficial for discussing and elaborating on Islamic finance in general with a particular focus on its implementation and expected growth in Türkiye. Panels held during the event, with distinguished individuals representing different actors in the finance market, were very efficient and dynamic platforms for exchanging experiences, thoughts and views on Islamic finance in general, specific products and its implementation in Türkiye. ”
Partner, YAK Attorney Partnership
“ I found the event very informative and insightful about the current situation and future of participation banking in Türkiye. It has also been great to engage with professional colleagues. ”
Credits and Banking Relations Director/Finance Director, Yildiz Holding
“ IFN Dialogues provide a valuable platform to share experiences, ideas and also to expand our network. Also, the new format in 2019 enabled constructive discussions. Thank you very much to the REDmoney team. ”
Senior Vice-President, Capital Markets, Investment Banking at Türkiye Kalkinma ve Yatirim Bankasi
“ The event has served as an excellent opportunity which allowed us to reach and network with our target audience. We had the chance to discuss and keep abreast of industry-specific topics related to the development of Islamic finance in Türkiye. ”
Financial Institutions Manager, Financial Markets Department, Ziraat Participation Bank
“ Congratulations for the successful event in Istanbul. The venue was excellent and the topics were well chosen, addressing issues facing the Islamic finance industry in Türkiye. The format of the Dialogues allowed the moderators, the speakers and the audience to interact and the time dedicated was sufficient to cover the issues comprehensively. ”
Senior Country Manager, ICIEC Headquarters, The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment & Export Credit
“ Many thanks to IFN and Redmoney for organizing such a successful international event in Istanbul. The event provided participants the insights on the latest developments relating to the Islamic finance as well as fintech environment, challenges and opportunities including laws and regulations in Türkiye. It was a great pleasure to participate in such a highly informative and interactive event. ”
Founder, SRP-Legal
“ The event provided excellent ideas regarding potential opportunities and development areas in Islamic finance for moving forward. It covered the right topics, variety and quality of selected panelists and provided a networking opportunity. I am honored to be part of the event as a speaker and had an opportunity to discuss my views on the growth of the Sukuk market and Islamic capital market instruments and also the necessary steps to be taken in Turkey. ”
Assistant VP of Investment Banking, Turkiye Emlak Katilim Bankasi
Dialogues Agenda
9.15 – 9.20
Welcome Remarks
9.20 – 9.30
Presentation: Key Recent Developments in Participation Financial Services in Türkiye
09.30 – 11.30
Driving Growth: Participation Banking, Technology & Financial Markets in Türkiye
- How have Türkiye’s participation finance institutions evolved over the past year, and what key factors continue to shape their growth?
- How do we evaluate the Participation Finance Strategy 2022-2025 and the recent development of the financial ecosystem?
- How are Turkish participation banks adapting to evolving trends in digital finance and technological innovation?
- How is Türkiye integrating transition, green and sustainable finance into its participation banking and financial market initiatives?
- What are recent developments in Türkiye’s participation capital markets, and what is a realistic outlook for the Sukuk market?
- What market enhancements would further attract corporate issuers and deepen the domestic Sukuk market?
- What measures are being taken to address liquidity issues in the participation banking sector and improve access to high-quality liquid assets?
- What strategies and innovations will shape Türkiye’s participation finance landscape in the next decade?
11.30 – 12.00
Coffee
12.00 – 14.00
Shaping the Future: Participation Investment Products and Asset Management in Türkiye
- How has Türkiye’s participation investment landscape evolved in recent years, and what key trends are shaping its future?
- What challenges and opportunities exist in expanding participation investment products to a wider investor base?
- What role does Türkiye play in connecting global participation finance markets, and how does this contribute to attracting further foreign investment?
- What impact has the Participation Finance Strategy 2022-2025 had on the development of the participation investment sector?
- From a buyside viewpoint, what opportunities are offered by Türkiye’s Sukuk market, and what is the outlook for growth?
- How is private capital influencing Turkish participation investment markets and what approach should regulators take?
- What digital innovation would improve transparency, risk management, and investor accessibility?
- What are key innovations that will shape the next phase of participation investment management in Türkiye?
14.00
Coffee & Networking
IFN Türkiye Dialogues 2024 Speakers
- Ahmet Ilyas Collu, Head of International Banking Department, Vakif Katilim
- Ahmet Tacer, Capital Markets and Investment Banking Director, Golden Global Investment Bank
- Dr Bayram Veli Salur, Chief Investment Officer, Kuveyt Turk Portfoy
- Dr Saygın Sungur, Chief Financial Officer, Katılım Finans Kefalet A.Ş.
- Fatma Cinar, Deputy Secretary General, Türkiye Katilim Bankalari Bi̇rli̇ği̇
- Hojamurod Hojaev, Senior Manager, Relationship Management, International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation
- Mohd Radzuan Mohamed, CEO, Malaysian Takaful Association
- Osman Karakütük, Executive Vice President - Treasury Management and International Banking, Ziraat Participation Bank
- Seçil Yıldız, Executive Vice President, Sustainability and Impact Leader, Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye
- Sebnem Alp, Country Head Türkiye, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, UK Export Finance
- Serhan Yildirim, Assistant General Manager Treasury, Financial Institutions & Investment Banking, Albaraka Türk
- Ömer Alperen Bilgin, Head of Financial Institutions, T.O.M. Digital Participation Bank
- Zeynep Çalikiran Yaşar, Head of Financial Institutions, Kuveyt Turk Katilim Bankasi
Advisory Board
Esma Karabulut
Director of Investment Banking and Investor Relations, Türkiye Emlak Katılım Bankası
Marjan Muhammad
Deputy President Research, ISRA InstituteDr. Marjan Muhammad is the Deputy President Research at ISRA Institute, INCEIF University. In her current capacity, she oversees different portfolios including research and innovation, research management, assessment and publication, research commercialization, and Islamic finance online database (I-FIKR) developed by ISRA. She was previously the Director of Research Affairs Department at ISRA from 2013-2017. She is currently a member of the Shariah Advisory Council of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) effective from 1 November 2019 and a member of the Shariah Advisory Council of Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) effective from 1 July 2023. Prior to that, she was a member of Shariah Committee at a few local Islamic banks. At the international level, she sits on the Advisory Committee of Experts of Lotus Bank Limited and Shariah Supervisory Board of Lotus Capital Limited, both are based in Nigeria. Marjan obtained her bachelor’s degree in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh) from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and graduated from her master’s and PhD degrees at the same university.
Dr Necmettin Kizilkaya
Professor and head of department, Istanbul University
Dr Saygın Sungur
Chief Financial Officer, Katılım Finans Kefalet A.Ş.Sungur was born in Istanbul in 1981. He graduated from Yeditepe University, Department of Business Administration in 2003. After carrying out academic studies on ‘European Union Monetary Policy’ at Leiden University in the Netherlands as a European Union Jean Monnet Scholar, he completed his PhD in Finance at Yeditepe University.
Between 2006 and 2012, he worked in Deposit Analytics, Investment Banking and Capital Markets Product Management in institutions such as Eurobank Tekfen and Akbank. Sungur, who continued his career at Türkiye Finans Katılım Bankası between 2012 and 2021, served as Fund Collection and Investment Products Vice-President between 2018 and 2021. In 2021, he was appointed as Banking Services Coordinator to the Participation Banks Association of Türkiye. Saygın Sungur also continues to lecture on Financial Markets at Marmara University Institute of Islamic Economics.
As of April 2023, he was appointed as the Deputy General Manager responsible for Finance, Administrative Affairs and Human Resources at Katılım Finans Kefalet A.Ş.
Dr Tawfik Azrak
Assistant Professor, Social Sciences University of Ankara (ASBU)Dr Azrak is an experienced and accomplished professional with over 10 years of experience in Islamic Banking and finance. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Social Science University of Ankara, Turkey.
Dr Azrak’s expertise in Islamic finance has enabled him to supervise numerous MSc and PhD students in various universities on topics related to the field.
Dr Azrak’s contributions to Islamic finance and auditing studies have been extensive, with over 50 published research papers in prestigious journals such as SCOPUS and ISI. His work has had a significant impact on the field, addressing a range of issues related to banking, accounting and finance.
Throughout his career, Dr Azrak has held various positions in international institutions and universities in Turkey, Syria, Malaysia, Lebanon and Kuwait.
Dialogues Partners
KNOWLEDGE PARTNER
INCEIF University
INCEIF was established by Bank Negara Malaysia to develop human capital and knowledge leadership in the global Islamic finance industry. In addition to its academic programmes, including PhD in Islamic Finance, MBA (Sustainable Business), MSc in Islamic Finance Practice, and PhD in Islamic Finance, INCEIF also offers tailored executive training and industry-focused applied research, aiming to be a global knowledge leader in Islamic finance.
PARTNERS
The International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM)
The International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) is an international organization established on the 25th October 2010 by central banks, monetary authorities and multilateral organizations to develop and issue short-term Shariah compliant financial instruments to facilitate effective cross-border liquidity management for institutions that offer Islamic financial services.
The current members of the IILM Governing Board are the central banks and monetary agencies of Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Qatar, Turkiye and the UAE as well as the multilateral Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector.
Membership of the IILM is open to central banks, monetary authorities, financial regulatory authorities or government ministries and agencies that have regulatory oversight of finance or trade and commerce as well as multilateral organizations.
The IILM is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
International Turnkey Systems
ITS offers cutting-edge technology solutions tailored for financial institutions, governmental bodies, and private sector enterprises across diverse industries. With a proven track record of technological proficiency and an extensive skill set, we provide robust support for critical business operations.
Headquartered in Kuwait, ITS operates research and development facilities in Kuwait, India, and Cairo, and maintains a strong presence throughout the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
At ITS Global Business Solutions Development Center (GBS) in Cairo, we deliver comprehensive Managed Services on a global scale. Our expertise spans every stage of the software development lifecycle, empowering companies to seamlessly transition from legacy systems to cutting-edge technologies.
TRAVEL PARTNER
LEAD MEDIA PARTNERS
Islamic Finance news
Islamic Finance news (IFN) is the company’s principal publication. IFN is a digital, subscription-based publication available online and through smartphone and tablet applications. Published weekly, the journal provides exclusive and comprehensive coverage of the global Islamic financial markets through in-house analysis and expert external contributions; in addition to a daily news service, additional quarterly supplements and a variety of special annual issues.
Differentiated by trusted relationships across the industry since 2004, IFN is able to leverage an unrivalled network of contacts and connections to provide unparalleled insight into the issues affecting global Shariah compliant markets: along with in-house analysis, news, interviews, reports, industry and sector data, and much more.
With an archived website containing over 80,000 exclusive reports, the IFN portfolio also hosts a suite of proprietary tools including the industry’s largest interactive terminology glossary, a directory of over 9,000 global Islamic financial institutions and a portal to Islamic Banking Intelligence, the most comprehensive source of segmented Islamic banking financial data.
IFN Fintech
Fintech is one of the most exciting sectors of the global financial industry, breaking boundaries and challenging preconceptions in one of the shake-ups of the century. A new class of financial players is disrupting the status quo – and financial institutions must embrace this change or face being left behind as the financial landscape transforms beyond recognition.
But although fintech as a whole has been well-served by the media, the Islamic segment has so far made limited penetration on public consciousness – despite the enormous potential it represents for the industry. There is a clear chasm between the multitude of pioneering entrepreneurs, start-ups and fintech firms making waves in the Islamic space; and the interested investors, institutions and stakeholders keen to explore these opportunities.
Recognizing this information gap, IFN is delighted to introduce to you a bespoke multi-channel platform – IFN FinTech.
Comprised of four tranches, IFN FinTech is a one-stop-shop for industry knowledge, networking and communication – supported by our unrivaled global network, our strong social media platform and our trusted multimedia Islamic finance offering.
IFN Sustainable
IFN Sustainable, comprises a dedicated portal, weekly news alert, audio and video podcasts, interviews, data, exclusive reports, case studies, research, virtual roundtables, and hybrid forums. With a focus on the latest news and developments, IFN Sustainable is also be a pivotal platform for thought leadership and the launch of new products and services within the industry. IFN Sustainable also partners with some of the leading organizations associated with the Islamic and sustainable finance industry, providing holistic coverage.
IFN Investor
The Islamic investment industry is a fastgrowing and dynamic sector within the Islamic finance space, with a ballooning pool of assets under management, reflecting a rapidly increasing demand for Islamic investment products.
Yet this increased demand has not been matched by increased activity in the media space.
And, although IFN has been reporting on the Islamic investment market for almost 20-years, we noticed we could do more and decided to rectify this imbalance.
After extensive research and surveying of the global Islamic investor industry on what they would like to see, we have designed and built a one stop portal for all those involved or interested in the local, regional, and global Shariah compliant investment market.
Registration
The Previous IFN Türkiye Dialogues
IFN Türkiye Dialogues 2024
Türkiye is one of the brightest emerging stars of Islamic finance globally – and it is no surprise why. The Republic has all the right ingredients including a Muslim-majority population and strong support from the highest echelons of government.
With President Recep Tayyib Erdogan being a vocal supporter of Islamic finance, participation finance has grown tremendously over the last decade as local authorities put in place enabling policies and infrastructure. Today, Türkiye is home to six Shariah compliant banks, is an active participant in the sovereign and corporate Sukuk markets and is making great progress in the Halal funds sector.
The licensing of fully digital banks last year is likely to tip the scales further in favor of participation finance as three Islamic digital banks are to join the arena and likely to push the country’s Islamic banking sector assets to break the 10% market share threshold by the end of 2024.
How can Türkiye best harness its potential and capitalize on its growth momentum? The industry’s leading minds will share their recommendations and dissect in detail the issues the Republic faces and how to overcome them at the IFN Türkiye Dialogues 2024 in Istanbul.
In The News
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Turkiye: Revving up its gears
Since we last wrote about Turkiye in a cover story, several developments have caught our eye. The question is: how will these…
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlights Turkiye’s push to increase Islamic banking market share
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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.