IFN Oman Seminar, Dialogue & Report 2016
  • SUPPORTED BY

Date: 8th March 2016 Venue: Afrah Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Muscat

Sponsors & Partners

EXCLUSIVE LEAD PARTNER

Bank Nizwa

Website: www.banknizwa.om/

Bank Nizwa started operations in January 2013 to offer the people of Oman a unique banking experience that combines Shariah compliant products and services with today’s dynamic financial requirements. Over the past three years, the bank has witnessed steady growth in its customer base as more people seek an alternative solution to conventional banking. With the concept of Islamic banking gaining momentum in Oman, Bank Nizwa continues to offer reliable competitive propositions for customers looking to lead financially secure lifestyles.

In tandem with its ongoing strategy to bring Islamic banking to customers’ doorsteps and fingertips, the bank currently offers a suite of financing, savings and investment products for individual customers. The bank is also in the process of expanding its services to cater to corporate and commercial customers, while providing tailored products for the segments of investment banking and global markets. With innovation at the forefront of its successful operations, Bank Nizwa has been consistently introducing forward-thinking products and services such as the in-house electronic cheque-clearing system.

To date, Bank Nizwa has expanded its reach, opening 11 branches across Oman in Muscat, Ghoubra, Al Khoud, Barka, Nizwa, Samail, Sohar, Ibra, Sur, Al Buraymi and Salalah.

Since its inception, Bank Nizwa has won various awards including four awards in 2015 alone. In addition to recently being named the ‘Best Performing Islamic Bank in Oman’ at the 2015 World Islamic Banking Conference, the bank also received the ‘Best Islamic Bank in Oman’ title at the 6th annual Islamic Finance Awards, the ‘Best Employee Retention and Motivation Program’ award at the annual Middle East Call Center Awards and was recently honored with the ‘Strongest Islamic Retail Bank in Oman’ title at the 7th World Islamic Retail Banking Conference. These accolades reflect the bank’s commitment to become the Islamic bank of choice in the Sultanate.

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS

Al Busaidy Mansoor Jamal & Co (AMJ)

Website: www.amjoman.com/

AMJ’s award-winning Islamic finance practice provides clients with advice and representation on a broad spectrum of Islamic finance transactions, regulatory frameworks and products.

The dedicated Islamic finance team comprises international lawyers who have advised high-profile and innovative transactions in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. They combine technical expertise in conventional financing with a deep understanding and commitment to the principles and mechanics of Shariah compliant instruments and transactions. They have the experience and know-how to structure and implement complex investment, finance and debt capital market transactions which meet both Shariah and conventional banking requirements and also satisfy regulatory conditions. The practice is fully integrated with our internationally-ranked finance and capital market practices, giving it unrivaled depth in the market.

The team has advised governments, corporates, Islamic and conventional financial institutions, banks and funds on Sukuk, funds, structured products and securitization and project financing using all the Shariah compliant instruments.

Website: Information to be updated soon.

Al Madina Investment

Website: almadina.com/

Incorporated in the year 1998 and currently with an authorized capital of US$130 million, Al Madina Investment (Al Madina) is one of the leading and distinguished investment banking firms in the GCC region.

Al Madina is well-placed in the financial services business offering a wide spectrum of Shariah compliant services including stock brokerage, asset management, corporate finance advisory, private equity and placement and Islamic finance.

Al Madina has been in service for nearly 18 years and within this time frame, the company has catered to a wide range of clientele including individual investors and corporations in Oman and the GCC region.

Al Madina Takaful

Website: www.almadinatakaful.com

Al Madina Insurance Company was set up in 2005 with the objective of being the first provider of Shariah compliant insurance products in the country. After the introduction of Islamic financial services in Oman, the company converted itself into a fully-fledged Takaful company on the 1st January 2014. The company’s trade name ‘Al Madina Takaful’ symbolizes the vision of harmony with each of our stakeholders.

The company is strongly capitalized, well above the regulatory minimum, with a ‘Ba2’ (positive outlook) rating from Moody’s Investors Service, an international rating agency. Al Madina Takaful is among the top 10 insurance companies in the market and is quoted on Muscat Securities Market. 

Al Madina Takaful aims to distinguish itself by providing solutions that are appropriate to the needs of its policyholders, being competitive in its terms and conditions, and providing empathy and speed in settlement of claims.

Dentons

Website: www.dentons.com/

Dentons is a global law firm driven to provide clients with a competitive edge in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Our Middle East network is one of the largest and longest established of any international law firm in the region – we have been on the ground for half a century. With more than 110 legal professionals, many of them bilingual in Arabic and English, our team delivers a comprehensive understanding of local laws, customs and practices.

Dentons's Islamic finance team is a leader in its field. We are at the forefront of innovation in Islamic finance and work closely with key industry stakeholders. Clients use us for our unrivalled Shariah local knowledge and international expertise across the Middle East, Europe and Asia. We offer a full range of services in domestic and international Islamic finance law advice. Our Shariah solutions are world class, offering practical experience and expertise across a wide range of industry sectors.

Linklaters

Website: www.linklaters.com/

Linklaters is a leading global law firm, supporting clients in achieving their strategies wherever they do business.

We specialize in advising the world’s leading companies, financial institutions and governments on their most important and challenging transactions and assignments. Our focus is on consistently delivering integrated, global solutions, built on our strong local capability.

We use our expertise and resources to help clients pursue opportunities and manage risk across emerging and developed markets. With offices in major business and financial centers, we deliver outstanding service to our clients anywhere in the world.

Maisarah Islamic Banking Services (Bank Dhofar)

Website: maisarah-oman.com/Default/Home.aspx

Maisarah Islamic Banking Services of Bank Dhofar is one of the fastest-growing Islamic banking service providers in the Sultanate of Oman with total assets of over US$750 million. Maisarah is a full service provider of a broad range of Shariah compliant financial products and solutions. Since its launch in 2013, Maisarah has shown tremendous growth, offering best-in-class banking experience and providing a vast array of products and financial solutions to serve retail and corporate customers nationwide. It continues to reaffirm its long-term commitment to customers across the Sultanate by expanding its retail branch network and by offering corporate banking, trade finance and treasury solutions. Maisarah’s network of branches is set to reach 10 retail branches countrywide in 2016.

With an experienced corporate and business banking team, Maisarah offers a comprehensive set of financing solutions to large corporations, SMEs and government institutions. Its trade finance solutions are designed to facilitate domestic and international business with a range of services from import and export finance to working capital and treasury services.

Maisarah’s outstanding customer service and innovative solutions have cemented its leading position in the Omani banking industry. It has won a number of prestigious awards from international institutions in recognition of its successful strategy and customer service commitment, including ‘Islamic Bank of the Year – Oman 2015’ by The Banker, ‘Best Islamic Window-Oman 2015’ by International Finance Magazine and ‘Best Islamic Bank Oman 2015’ by Global Banking & Finance Review. The Mudarabah financing product by Maisarah has also been named the ‘Islamic Finance Industry Development Challenge Winner’ at the Ethical Finance Innovation Challenge and Awards.

Standard Chartered Saadiq

Website: https://www.sc.com/my/saadiq/

As a major international bank with a long-standing heritage and a global network that covers much of the Muslim world, Standard Chartered is strategically positioned to play a prominent role in this ever-expanding market.

Staying close to the bank’s core values, Standard Chartered Saadiq, its global Islamic banking brand, was launched in early 2007 to create a distinct identity and to reiterate the bank’s commitment to providing innovative banking solutions based on Islamic values. The word ‘Saadiq’ (‘truthful’ in Arabic) was carefully selected to reflect the essence of its Islamic banking offering.

At Standard Chartered Saadiq, the dedicated Islamic banking team combines Shariah expertise with strong business acumen to offer customers the best of both worlds’ comprehensive international banking services with a wide range of Shariah compliant financial products.

Standard Chartered Saadiq offers a complete suite encompassing transactional and corporate banking; financial market solutions such as capital markets; treasury risk management; and corporate finance solutions such as project and export finance, structured trade finance and structured finance to cater to a broad spectrum of corporates and institutions.

Since 2006, Standard Chartered Saadiq has won over 230 international industry awards in recognition of its business’s market leadership position.

Trowers & Hamlins

Website: www.trowers.com/

Trowers & Hamlins is an international law firm, headquartered in the city of London, providing full-service integrated offerings. Today, the firm has over 130 partners and over 800 personnel working across the UK, Middle East and Southeast Asia.

With specialist lawyers in the UK, the Middle East and ASEAN, Trowers & Hamlins has been a market leader in the field of Islamic finance for over 20 years. Ranked in the top 10 UK law firms for Islamic finance, our clients include Islamic finance institutions as well as public and private sector organizations.

The ASEAN region is an area of continuing growth for the firm and in response to our expanding client base, we opened a representative regional office in Kuala Lumpur in July 2012 and were granted a branch license in 2015. We are the first and only international law firm to be licensed in Malaysia.

Our defining characteristics are that we are a friendly and accessible firm which has a commitment to excellence, and which provides a supportive working environment to a wide diversity of individuals.

LEAD MEDIA PARTNER

Islamic Finance news

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

INFORMATION PARTNER

Asia First

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:

  • Major publishers listed with over 350 publications
  • 3,000+ research papers and reports from over 80 organizations
  • 2,000+ events listed in our events calendar
  • 500+ news feeds, five million news stories (including from Asia First) and our weekly newsletter, and
  • Smart search functionality for news and research dedicated to the financial industry.

MEDIA PARTNER

Business Islamica

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.

Capital Business

Website: www.capitalbusiness.me

Capital Business Magazine is a B2B English monthly publication focusing on business best practices and is a publication accredited by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). It enjoys a sizable footprint in the Middle East on the strength of feature articles contributed by certified financial and business experts, as well as coverage of a broad spectrum of topics including banking, IT, oil & gas, real estate and construction, human capital, risk management, corporate finance and cash management, corporate governance, investments, IPOs, tools of trade and more.