The IFN World Leaders Summit is a unique invite-only annual meeting gathering CEOs of Islamic financial institutions, top business leaders, policymakers, legal experts, economists and thought leaders from key Shariah finance markets to critically discuss and debate the most pressing issues facing the Islamic finance industry.
The one-day summit is a rare opportunity for the industry’s most influential figures to congregate and openly address some of the biggest and most crucial topics in a conducive environment, providing invaluable international insights on the biggest challenges and opportunities for the posterity of the Islamic financial industry.
CEOs of some of the biggest names in Islamic finance and industry captains will share their expectations for the coming year, their thoughts on subjects rarely discussed in other public forums and their insights into some of the most controversial issues hitting the industry. Market pundits will discuss how unfolding international and regional geopolitical events are influencing Shariah finance performance and corporates will tell their side of their capital-raising story on the difficulties (and benefits) of choosing the Islamic route. Fintech experts will also share the stage speaking on real issues in fintegration.
Convening on the 11th March in Dubai, the inaugural IFN World Leaders Summit will coincide with the industry’s leading gathering of market practitioners and issuers – the IFN Awards Ceremony – making this a truly global networking event for like-minded market elites.
09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome Remarks | ||||
09:10 – 09:20 | Keynote Address Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar – CEO, Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre |
||||
09:20 – 10:20 | Mega Trends: Global and Regional Influencers for Islamic Finance and Investment We examine and discuss key issues and themes influencing global Islamic finance and investment. What will offer opportunity and what will disrupt?
|
||||
10:20 – 11:00 | Capital-Raising Roundtable We ask a panel of market participants to reveal their thoughts and insights on raising capital through Islamic finance. What are the positives and what does the industry need to address to allow Islamic finance to truly compete with conventional? What are the risks in issuing and investing in Sukuk and how can these risks be addressed and managed?
|
||||
11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee & Networking | ||||
11:30 – 12:15 | Building Regulatory Frameworks in Islamic Finance We ask a panel of senior representatives of regulators, standard-setting bodies and exchanges for their views on the evolution of regulatory frameworks for Islamic banking and finance.
|
||||
12:15 – 12:55 | Gold – All that Glitters Gold has come to prominence of late, either as an underlying asset or an asset class in itself. We take a closer look at recent financial products structured on or around gold and ask if the upward trend is set to continue.
|
||||
12:55 – 14.00 | Lunch and Networking | ||||
14:00 – 14:30 | Comparing Notes: From Financial Hubs to Fintech Hubs Leading Islamic financial centers and Islamic fintech start-ups engage with each other on what makes a conducive Shariah fintech ecosystem, what measures are in place to attract start-ups, spur and support innovation among financial institutions.
|
||||
14:30 – 14:40 | REDTalk: The Next Generation Islamic Finance Business Model
|
||||
14:40 – 15:10 | Changing Times: Islamic Finance 2.0 Technology has triggered a wave of change in the world of Islamic finance. We take a look at how fintech is altering consumer behavior, redefining financial services and how financial players are adapting to an evolving environment.
|
||||
15:10 – 15:40 | The Cryptocurrency Conundrum: Friend or foe? Fear or embrace? We debate the key issues surrounding cryptocurrencies and discuss their role in the global Islamic finance industry. What is the potential for initial coin offerings and will asset-linked coins feature in the corporate fundraising process?
|
||||
15:40 – 16:10 | The Wider View: Influential Trends, Opportunities and Events We ask a panel of leading analysts, commentators, investors and economists to provide us an insight into the growth of the Global Islamic Economy, diversification of GCC economies, geographical and region-specific insights, industry shifts and macro events and offer insight into how Islamic finance can manage and benefit from these opportunities.
|
||||
16:10 – 17:00 | Coffee and Networking | ||||
17.00 | End of Forum |