Abdulkader Thomas – Chief Executive Officer, SHAPE Financial
Alex Saleh – Partner and Head of Kuwait Office, Al Tamimi & Company
Anthony J. Coleby – Senior Counsel, Corporate Commercial Department, SASLO - Said Al Shahry & Partners, Oman
Ashley Freeman – Senior Counsel, Charles Russell Speechlys
Emad Al Monayea – Board Director & CEO, Kuwait Finance House Investment
Fahed Boodai – Chairman, Gatehouse Bank
Hossam Abdullah – Partner, ASAR - Al Ruwayeh & Partners
Isam Salah – Partner, King & Spalding, New York/Dubai
Issam Al Tawari – Chairman & Managing Director, Rasameel Structured Finance Company, Kuwait
Jamal Hamad Al-Barrak – Executive General Manager of Investments, Kuwait International Bank
Paul McViety - Legal Director, DLA Piper
Website: www.kslaw.com
King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 30 years experience advising clients globally on Islamic finance. Consistently ranked among the best in the world, the firms global Islamic finance and investment practice includes nearly 30 lawyers and professionals in offices across Europe, the US and the Middle East.
In Europe, the firm is recognized as a leader in structuring and advising on Shariah compliant real estate financing and investments, as well as advising various international investment banks in their capacities as arrangers in debt capital market transactions, particularly Sukuk issuances. In the US, the firm is widely acknowledged as the firm of choice for Shariah compliant investment and financing transactions. In the Middle East, the firm leads in the formation of investment funds across a range of asset sectors, and the innovative fund structures it has developed to deal with local ownership and financing restrictions are now precedents followed by the industry. The firm maintains a leading role in handling debt capital markets work, in particular Sukuk issuances for issuers and lead arrangers across the Middle East and Turkey.
Website: www.icd-ps.org
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:
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: icd@isdb.org
Website: www.icd-ps.org
Website: www.asarlegal.com
Al Ruwayeh and Partners (ASAR) is the largest law firm in Kuwait and one of the largest in the Middle East. ASAR has a leading corporate and commercial law practice with a focus on, among others, Islamic finance, banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, restructurings and corporate and commercial transactions. ASAR has been involved in some of the most innovative and complex local and cross-border transactions, thus enabling us to garner uniquely rich and diversified knowledge and experience.
Practising in jurisdictions where in-depth knowledge of the legal regimes and practical experience invariably go hand in hand, we are particularly proud of our unrivaled jurisdictional knowledge and experience. While being known for our exceptional quality of work, we simultaneously distinguish ourselves by offering constructive, commercial and pragmatic advice as opposed to dwelling on technicalities. Simply put, we provide our clients with practical legal advice that makes perfect business sense.
Website: www.markazlaw.com
Nestled in the business hub of Kuwait City, Al Markaz Law Firm is a leading firm recognized for its elite team of highly experienced, multi-lingual international and local attorneys. Our ability to combine significant global knowledge and standards while providing well-rounded innovative legal solutions to our clients in key practice areas is undisputed.
Founded in 1983 by Fawwaz Abd-Allah Al Saeed, a prominent attorney and former president of the Kuwait Bar Association, Al Markaz Law Firm has experienced exponential growth since its inception, partnering with an extensive client base of blue-chip Kuwaiti and foreign corporations. Our clients include large publicly-held corporations, investment banks, brokerage firms, investment funds, private equity firms, institutional investors, [the] oil and gas sector, construction and real estate companies. We also have a proud history of conducting complex litigation matters in the areas of both traditional court proceedings and arbitration.
Key practice areas:
Corporate and mergers and acquisitions
Litigation
Arbitration and dispute resolution
Banking and finance
Islamic finance
Construction
Oil and gas
Intellectual property
Employment
Aviation
Energy
Website: www.tamimi.com
Al Tamimi & Company is the largest law firm in the Middle East with 17 offices across nine countries. The firm has unrivaled experience, having operated in the region for over 25 years. Our lawyers combine international experience and qualifications with expert regional knowledge and understanding.
We are a full-service firm, specializing in advising and supporting major international corporations, banks and financial institutions, government organizations and local, regional and international companies. Our main areas of expertise include arbitration and litigation; banking and finance; corporate and commercial; intellectual property; real estate; construction and infrastructure; and technology, media and telecommunications. Our lawyers provide quality legal advice and support to clients across all of our practice areas.
Our business and regional footprint continues to grow, and we seek to expand further in line with our commitment to meet the needs of clients doing business across the Middle East. For more details on the firm, please visit www.tamimi.com.
Website: www.batonglobal.com
Bâton Global is a research-driven, impact-focused boutique management consulting firm. Through our unique research, organization, strategy, execution (R.O.S.E) approach to advisory engagements, we support our clients in developing and implementing strategic solutions for internationalization. From driving growth to mitigating risk, from delivering financial results through to creating social impact, we bring our expertise to support our clients in achieving excellence.
Bâton Global works with a wide array of clients across the globe including Fortune 500, privately held companies, city and regional governments and non-profit institutions (academic institutions, charities, and foundations). With a leading practice in Islamic finance and values-based/mission-driven capital, our sector expertise include financial services, infrastructure, and FMCG. Please reach out to us at the IFN Kuwait Forum or email us at info@batonglobal.com for more information.
Website: www.ddcap.co.uk
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in London, with an office in Dubai and a presence in both Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, DDCAP provides asset facilitation services to over 300 financial sector clients worldwide.
DDCAP is majority-owned and controlled by IPGL, a private holding company with an interest in a number of financial services companies. IPGL is also a significant shareholder in NEX Group (previously ICAP), a leading markets operator and provider of post-trade risk mitigation and information services.
DDCAP has an extensive track record within the Islamic finance industry, employing over 35 professionals with broad and complementary skill sets drawn from diverse financial industry backgrounds.
DDCAP has its own Shariah supervisory board comprising esteemed Shariah scholars from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Kuwait.
DDCAP recently announced the launch of its multi-award-winning Shariah compliant ETHOS Asset Facilitation PlatformTM, a bespoke, real-time trade and post-trade services platform providing 24-hour coverage, enabling clients worldwide to purchase from a diverse asset inventory, including commodities, via a secure, web-based portal.
Website: https://www.dlapiper.com
DLA Piper is a leading global, business law firm. We provide legal services to clients across key industry sectors including banking and financial services, real estate and construction, technology and healthcare. We understand the global importance and impact of Islamic financial services, and remain committed to supporting our clients wherever they do business. Our international reach and integration means that DLA Piper can handle Islamic finance matters originating in all of the major financial centers. Our lawyers have significant experience in acting for Islamic and conventional clients involved in the Islamic finance industry (including financial institutions, corporates, funds, market regulators and other government entities). For further information please visit www.dlapiper.com.
Website: https://www.eigertrading.com
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:
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.
Website: www.gatehousebank.com
Gatehouse Bank is an investment bank based in the city of London, authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority. Founded in 2008, Gatehouse invests in accordance with Shariah principles and has divisions in real estate investment, real estate finance, treasury, and wealth management services. Seeking to preserve and grow wealth for its clients, Gatehouse combines international financial market expertise with excellence in Shariah principles. Gatehouse advises funds with approximately US$1.5 billion of assets in the US and the UK.
Website: www.idealratings.com/
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:
Website: www.thomsonreuters.com
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision-makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs approximately 60,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.
Today's dynamic markets require deep knowledge before investment decisions are made and execution strategies are planned. Thomson Reuters has been at the heart of Islamic finance for over 30 years, offering innovative investment and trading solutions to financial professionals across multiple asset classes. We provide holistic technology capabilities by embedding customized solutions into the information requirement workflows of professionals serving various business functions, while facilitating real-time connectivity to the global Islamic finance community. Whether it’s asset class, sector, country or region-specific, you can rely on us to deliver the quality of analysis that can only be expected of Thomson Reuters.
For more information, go to http://thomsonreuters.com.
Website: www.wvb.com
World Vest Base provides a broad range of informational products directed at institutional investors, universities, bankers, analysts, tax and audit practitioners, government agencies and asset managers, M&A, private capital, equity and fixed income markets.
The company’s latest offering includes the WVB Shariah Compliance Ratings which is a relational database of financial, statistical and market information on active and inactive global companies.
The database covers 153 countries with over 44,600 active listed companies and 30,000 inactive companies. This covers approximately 99% of all listed companies and a global market capitalization of almost 100%.
WVB data is based on the country of incorporation. It describes a company as a legal entity, not individual issues or listings and offers complete documents with indexed financial transparency to the data.
For more information, visit www.wvb.com
Website: www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/
Oxford Business Group (OBG) is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm, which publishes economic intelligence on the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
OBG offers a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral developments, including banking, capital markets, energy, infrastructure, industry and insurance.
The group’s acclaimed economic and business reports are the leading source of local and regional intelligence, while its online economic briefings provide an up-to-date in-depth analysis. OBG’s consultancy arm offers tailor-made market intelligence and advice to firms operating in these markets and those looking to enter them.
Website: www.islamicfinancenews.com
Islamic Finance news is the industry's leading, capital markets focused, e-newsletter bringing you unrivalled editorial coverage every week on the global Islamic financial market.
This weekly newsletter provides insightful and intelligent editorial coverage from around the world helping you keep ahead. In addition to a comprehensive weekly review of all the stories from around the globe, interviews, forums, market statistics and data, key industry practitioners contribute via non-biased, educational and up-to-date country and sector reports, giving you a firsthand knowledge and understanding of the Islamic finance markets and instruments from an experts' point of view.
For a trial subscription, please contact +603 2162 7800 or email subs@IslamicFinancenews.com
Website: businessislamica.com/
Launched in November 2006, Business Islamica is the first monthly magazine of its kind in the UAE, specifically covering all aspects of Islamic business and finance, both regionally and internationally.
The magazine’s objective is to spearhead awareness initiatives, heighten knowledge of its core principles and practices, as well as to feature the latest developments in this industry.
Our editorial covers interviews with key industry leaders, case studies, and includes features on a wide range of topics such as; Islamic Banking, Wealth Management, Takaful (Islamic Insurance), Islamic Retail Finance, Marketing and Branding of Shari’ah-Compliant products, Regulatory Issues, Islamic Business Challenges and Risk Management.
Website: www.capitalbusiness.me
Website: www.asia-first.com/
Asia First provides a complete solution for financial professionals and organizations to source, purchase and manage financial news and intelligence products that they need for their business. It is a front-end website featuring extensive free daily and weekly finance news and other resources for professionals, complemented by a corporate back-end procurement platform and marketplace for buying and managing financial publications, data, research and events.
We organize specialized events and provide branding and exposure via our extensive readership and database. A one-stop shop with the following:
Website: www.fundsglobalmena.com
Funds global MENA is a leading publication is directed at institutions, fund buyers, distributors and fund managers in the Middle East and Africa, with editorial focusing on industry developments such as sales trends, new asset classes, fund launches, economic outlook and regulatory changes. The magazine is circulated to a worldwide readership of over 14,000.
As well as in-depth editorial features, content includes regular C-suite executive interviews and profiles, ‘talking head’ viewpoints, academic contributions and industry roundtables for fund management and asset servicing.
Funds global MENA forms part of the funds global series of publications looking at the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and MENA regions. Reports are published by the owners of funds europe magazine, which has been reporting on the institutional and retail fund management markets in the UK and Europe since 2002. To request sample copies of funds global MENA and associated publications, please contact Michael Fennessy at Michael.fennessy@fundsglobalmena.com
Website: iftmagazine.com
Islamic Finance Today, the exclusive Islamic Banking and Finance Magazine published by Pioneer Publications has commenced publication as a monthly in digital format.
It is now available for free downloading as a service to the industry and delivers a mix of exclusive articles by the leading scholars in the field, interviews with prominent personalities, industry trends, news, views and events.
The magazine reaches a large number of industry professionals with its reader-friendly format, rich and varied content and up-to-date, thought-provoking information for investment savvy readers looking for a fresh approach and new perspectives on the developments and growth potential of the industry.
Since its launch as an e-version in early 2015 a number of leading scholars have contributed papers or interviews, among them Rushdi Siddiqui, David Vicary, Joy Abdullah, Shakeeb Saqlain, Abdelilah Belatik Paul Mc.Namara, Sayd Farook, Shafiq Jakhura, Farrukh Habib, Riaz Ansary, Furqan Ahmed, Abbas Mirakhor, Umar Rafi, Valentino Cattelan, Abdul Haseeb Basit, Redha Al-Ansary, Junaid Wahaidna, Nida Khan, Sadia Karim, Shahida Shahimi and Rosie Kmeid.
Website: www.lexismiddleeastlaw.ae
Lexis Middle East Law is the definitive research tool for lawyers working in the Middle East. It provides a single point of online access to the laws and cases of the United Arab Emirates in English and Arabic, as well as the commercial laws of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. In partnership with SADER Legal Publishers, the Lexis Middle East Law service is supported by dedicated research and translation teams in Dubai, Beirut and London. A bilingual editorial team reviews over 300 regional newspapers, magazines and websites (including regulatory bodies and government agencies) on a daily basis to ensure lawyers are kept informed of the latest legal news and developments, including draft laws in the pipeline. The Lexis Middle East Law service provides access to fully consolidated legislation in English and Arabic, while offering the broadest range of legal commentary and practical guidance across a range of practice areas including arbitration, restructuring, project finance and energy. Visit www.lexismiddleeastlaw.ae
Website: www.oictoday.biz/
OIC TODAY is a business and investment magazine that plays the role as information provider and communication link to members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Now it has come into existence to serve the Muslim Business community at large.
OIC Today was launched by Malaysia's former Prime Minister YAB Tun Haji Abdullah Ahmad Badawi whom indicates the importance of such a pan-Muslim publication for global reach and networking with member countries.
OIC Today is an exclusive magazine published by OIC International Business Centre Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Malaysia OIC Trade Chamber based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. It focuses on general economy and also acts as the mouthpiece for Muslim Nations seeking partners in progress and development of the Ummah worldwide.
Website: www.thebusinessyear.com/
The Business Year (TBY) is a global media group specializing in economic news, research on national economies, and business intelligence across emerging markets. With operations in over 35 countries, we bring first-hand insights to investors, businesses, and governments worldwide.
Website: www.theoath-me.com
the Oath, is the only monthly legal magazine edited in the UAE that dedicates its coverage to this vibrant industry sector across the Middle East.
In its fifth year now, every issue of the Oath acts as the voice of the industry and reaches out to lawyers, legal counsels, C-level business executives and those wishing to keep updated on legal developments in the Middle East region.
The magazine is dominated by news that affects the legal profession, the legislation that affects the wider business community, and the activities that are driving the legislature.
Website: voicesofleaders.com
Voices of Leaders (VL) is a global business network for top executives and companies to Meet, Share and Grow locally, regionally and internationally.
The data-driven business profiles allow you to Meet top executives across a wide variety of industries, sectors and countries. Share your business needs among members looking for specific business opportunities and Grow your business network at a local and international level, while increasing the possibility of creating synergies, and finding partners and investors.
VL is committed to giving leaders from around the world a voice and in response to the demands of the digital age, VL produces interactive ebooks on the countries visited and the networking events it covers.
