IFN OnAir

We offer a critical analysis of the applicability of Islamic financial services to two vital, burgeoning sectors in Indonesia: The Halal economy, and social finance. How large is the Halal economy both domestically and internationally? What are the opportunities for servicing, supplying, financing and managing the Halal economy? Are companies within the Halal economy exclusively using Islamic fina...

Why is a united regulatory response to climate risk so important for the financial services industry, and how do we evaluate initiatives that encourage investors to channel capital into sustainable economic activity, and guide government and quasi-government resource allocation towards climate transition and social responsibility? How do we address the implications of various taxonomies, framework...

The digitalization of Islamic financial services: what is working, what is viable, and what is not? What do the answers to these questions mean for the evolution of Islamic financial services in Indonesia? How do we evaluate key initiatives designed to modernize and digitally transform the national economy, including the Islamic financial services sector? How has regulation and promotion of Indone...

What represents innovation in the Indonesian Sukuk market: pioneering structures, sourcing underliers, and the transition from ESG to Impact? What options do hybrid or combination Sukuk offer local issuers, particularly in asset heavy industries such as oil and gas, and aviation? How do Tier-1 and Tier-2 Sukuk offer financial institutions a flexible, efficient and user-friendly way of satisfying r...

Astera Primanto Bhakti , Director General of Fiscal Balance, Ministry of Finance, the Republic of Indonesia, Secretary General of the Indonesian Association of Islamic Economists (IAEI)

Dr Mizanur Rahman , Commissioner, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC)

With the Bangladesh Sukuk market achieving several firsts in 2021, what is next for this burgeoning sector, and what effects will tax and regulatory changes have? Will we see further incentives and how can corporate issuers be encouraged to embrace Sukuk as a form of mainstream financing? How should Bangladesh further employ Shariah-based green and responsible financing solutions in response to im...

Ghulam Muhammad Abbasi , Director, Islamic Banking Department, State Bank of Pakistan

In conjunction with the State Bank of Pakistan’s Licensing and Regulatory Framework for Digital Banks, and with five digital banking licenses available in 2022, how will the development, provision and distribution of digital Islamic financial services evolve in Pakistan? How can Islamic finance in Pakistan successfully capitalise on technological innovation? What is the status of conversions of co...

How should Pakistan further employ Shariah-based green and responsible financing solutions in response to important challenges such as limiting climate change, alleviating poverty, and driving financial inclusion? What does the evolution of green Sukuk mean for potential issuers in Pakistan? How can Pakistan encourage the development of effective Islamic sustainable funds and investment products?...

We pose a series of high-level strategic questions to senior representatives of Islamic financial services industry. How can Islamic finance and investment create a genuinely competitive advantage in key areas such as retail, commercial, corporate banking and wealth management? Are there inhibitions and limitations the industry needs to acknowledge and overcome? Does Islamic finance want to become...

How has the evolution of regional equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platforms created opportunities for the joint ownership of Shariah compliant assets and investment projects? How is technology increasing SMEs’ access to Shariah compliant capital, while also widening the investor base? What does the growth of digital investment management (DIM) platforms and robo-advisory mean for inve...

What represents innovation in the contemporary Sukuk market: pioneering structures, sourcing underliers, and the transition from ESG to Impact? What options do hybrid or combination Sukuk offer issuers, particularly in asset heavy industries such as oil and gas, and aviation, and why have such structures been so successful in the Gulf? How do Tier-1 and Tier-2 Sukuk offer financial institutions a...

The digitalization of Islamic financial services: what is working, what is viable, and what is not? What do the answers to these questions mean for the evolution of Islamic financial services in Southeast Asia? With new neo-banking licenses in Malaysia, how will the development, provision and distribution of digital Islamic financial services evolve in the near-term, and what models will be deemed...

What is social finance, why is it important and how can Islamic financial institutions play a significant role in its growth and development? In a post-pandemic world, what does social finance offer in terms of relief and renewal, and what real-life examples are there of this in practice? How can social Sukuk be used to support enterprise, entrepreneurship, home ownership and job creation, as well...

In this episode, IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan speaks to Dr Umar Oseni, the CEO of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM), to discuss the current state of liquidity management for Islamic financial institutions and IILM’s 2023 plans.

Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia has launched Malaysia’s second cloud-native Islamic digital bank, underscoring yet another promising development in the Islamic digital banking space. Vineeta Tan caught up with Arsalaan (Oz) Ahmed, CEO of Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia, to find out about the bank’s digital journey and what it means to the Islamic banking narrative in Malaysia. 

Industry players in the Islamic and sustainable finance space consistently highlight standardization, or the lack thereof, as a main challenge for the asset class to scale up. To understand the regulatory context and how we can move forward as an industry, Vineeta Tan speaks to Kristina Alnes, the director and head of product strategy of CICERO Shades of Green. 

ESG ratings play a critical role in sustainable finance and investment. To learn about the role of sustainability ratings in the Islamic sustainable finance and investment space, ISFI speaks to Magdy Eissa, the vice-president of IdealRatings, a data, screening and ratings provider with a focus on sustainability and Islamic finance solutions.

 Raja Amir Shah Raja Azwa, CEO, HSBC Amanah

 Julian Hashim, Chief Regulatory Officer, Bursa Malaysia

Several market developments in the UK including the closure of Islamic retail banking branches and the suspension of certain Shariah compliant financial products have caused concerns over the state of Islamic finance in the UK. To understand what is going on and what the future holds for the UK, we sit down with Wayne Evans, a senior adviser for International Trade and Investment to TheCityUK, an...

Positioning ESG and Sustainable Finance and Investment - Policy, Regulation and Action (Session One) Why is a united regulatory response to climate risk, such as that offered by JC3 and The Value-based Intermediation Financing and Investment Impact Assessment Framework (VBIAF), so important for the financial services industry as a whole? How do we evaluate initiatives designed to encourage investm...

• How Islamic finance can contribute towards meeting sustainable development and climate goals • Innovative Shariah-compliant sustainable finance products and solutions to facilitate transition to a greener and low-carbon economy o Green financing – sustainability-linked financing, term financing, mortgages, hire-purchase, credit cards o Capital Market – Green sukuk, sustainability linked sukuk, E...

What specific challenges face the Islamic, sustainable investor, and what opportunities? As an industry, how do we continue to widen our investor base through the development of appealing investment products that satisfy both ESG and Shariah compliance requirements? How do we capitalize on the green ambitions of Shariah compliant asset owners, institutional investors and investment managers, and t...