London, 6th September 2023: IFN UK Forum, Europe’s premier Islamic finance conference, returned to London on the 4th September 2023. Under the patronage of the Lord Mayor of the City of London and with support from His Majesty’s Government, TheCityUK, the City of London and the IsDB as multilateral strategic partners, the event served as a focal point for Islamic finance professionals and attracted renowned speakers and a diverse international audience of industry stakeholders.
The conference featured esteemed speakers who addressed critical topics shaping the future of Islamic finance. The event commenced with a welcome address by Alderman Vincent Keaveny, the representative of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, followed by a keynote address delivered by Lord Johnson, the minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade.
The first discussion titled ‘UK Islamic Finance’s Comparative Advantage — Developing Financial Architecture to Ensure Continued Competitiveness’ focused on how collectively ensuring the continued development of UK financial architecture, while discussing its competitiveness as a global Islamic finance hub and a center for regulatory and legislative developments for Islamic Fintech.
The second roundtable discussion titled ‘Bespoke Tailoring in the United Kingdom — Developing Innovative Islamic Structured Finance Solutions’ explored how the UK could fully leverage its reputation for innovative structured financial products and services and cement its position as an arranging center for international Shariah-compliant transactions.
The conference also explored topics such as ‘Shariah-Compliant Direct Investment, Real Estate, Private Equity, and Alternative Assets – Cross-Border Opportunities’, with another panel discussion titled ‘Blueprint for the Future: An Ecosystem for the Successful Development & Distribution of Islamic Financial Services’.
The last two sessions featured ‘Positioning the United Kingdom as a Leader in Ethical and Shariah-Compliant Asset and Investment Management’ and ‘The Next Step: The Strategic Development of Islamic Social and Sustainable Finance’.
Panelists for IFN UK Forum 2023 included:
- Ahmad Shahizam Mohd Shariff, General Partner, Mekar Capital
- Ahsan Ali, Managing Director and Head, Islamic Origination, Standard Chartered Saadiq
- Areeb Siddiqui, Founder and CEO, Kestrl
- Arshadur Rahman, Senior Manager, Bank of England
- Asal Saghari, Counsel, King & Spalding
- Farmida Bi, Chair, Europe, Middle East and Asia, Norton Rose Fulbright
- Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Lawrence Oliver, Executive Director, Deputy CEO, DDCAP Group
- Lim Say Cheong, CEO, Saudi Venture Capital Investment Company
- Luma Saqqaf, CEO, Ajyal Sustainability Consulting
- Dr. Martina Macpherson, Head of ESG Product Management, SIX
- Mike Tirman, Partner, Ice Miller
- Dr. Mohamed Damak, Senior Director, Global Head of Islamic Finance, S&P Global Ratings
- Dr. Mohammed Kroessin, Head of Global Islamic Microfinance Unit, Islamic Relief Worldwide
- Munirah Khairuddin, Country Head and CEO, Principal Asset Management
- Nasser Al-Thekair, General Manager, Trade and Business Development, International Trade Finance Corporation
- Dr. Natalie Schoon, CEO, REDmoney Consulting
- Nicholas Edmondes, Partner, Trowers & Hamlins
- Nitish Bhojnagarwala, Vice-President – Senior Credit Officer, Financial Institutions Group, Moody’s Investors Service
- Omar Shaikh, CEO, COCOA Invest
- Rafiza Ghazali, Director, Digital Banking, KAF Investment Bank
- Raza Ullah, CEO, Pfida
- Dr. Scott Levy, Founder, Al Waseelah
- Shakeel Adli, Founder and CEO, Zunikh
- Simon Meldrum, Innovative Finance, Private Sector, and Innovation Unit, Partnerships and Resource Development, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
- Sultan Choudhury, Advisory Board Member, The Islamic Finance Council UK
- Dr. Sutan Emir Hidayat, Director of the Islamic Economy Supporting Ecosystem, the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS)
- Dr. Usman Chaudry, Chief Risk Officer and Executive Director of the Board, Gatehouse Bank
- Zakky Bantan, Head of Funding, Islamic Development Bank
- Zalina Shamsudin, Head of International Programmes, Climate Bonds Initiative
Having successfully taken place six times before, IFN UK Forum 2023 was an outstanding event, bringing together industry leaders, experts, and professionals to discuss and shape the future of Islamic finance. With an attendance of over 400 delegates, the conference provided a platform for fruitful engagement, capacity-building, and networking opportunities.
About Islamic Finance news (IFN)
IFN is the leading Islamic finance news and solutions provider in the world, housing the largest pool of Islamic finance-related articles and coverage. Providing breaking news, reports and analyses through its multimedia channels, IFN covers the whole spectrum of the Shariah compliant finance industry, leveraging its unrivaled connections, team of journalists and global network of market expert correspondents. IFN has over 65,000 readers worldwide and has organized over 300 events across 35 countries.
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You can retrieve pictures of the IFN UK Forum here: https://redmoneyevents.com/event/ifn-uk-forum-2023/