A perennial call in the Islamic finance industry is the need for greater focus on real ‘investment’ activity as opposed to the typical banking structures found in the conventional industry – and this means a true participation and partnership between all players – sharing in both the risks and the rewards. While we may still be some way away, our cover story this week focuses on the path towards this aspiration and the obstacles in the way of achieving it: with a comprehensive look at the current landscape for Islamic private equity and the players pushing it forward across the globe.
Our IFN reports cover Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank’s expansion plans and the Sukuk sector in light of new emerging trends, while our correspondents explore real estate, Takaful, Australia, Kenya and Hong Kong. Our features come to you from Euris Group on Luxembourg while we also have special reports from IjaraUSA.com and Cheang & Ariff as well as IIUM. Our in-house analyses cover Saudi Arabia and private banking and wealth management.
As we wind down from an exceptionally successful IFN Asia event last week and gear up for the equally exciting IFN Europe Forum being held in Luxembourg on the 10th June, I am reminded of how truly global Islamic finance has become, and how wide its wings have spread from small beginnings. It is both an inspiration and an incentive to even greater achievements – long may the industry continue to grow.