UK: Let’s not rest on our laurels
IFN UK Forum 2023 in London was a resounding success, welcoming over 400 delegates from all over the world. While the general sentiment is that the UK is still deserving of its Islamic finance champion of the west title, industry experts raised genuine concerns. In this two-part series, VINEETA TAN brings you on the ground insights from the first half of the day.

The UK’s Islamic finance leadership in Europe is undisputed. As a hub, the UK ticks all the boxes: welcoming regulatory environment and tax framework, deep structuring expertise, first-mover advantage and geographically strategic. It has more Islamic banks than any of its European peers, was the first in the region to issue a sovereign Sukuk facility in 2014 and its London Stock Exchange lists some 70 Sukuk.