IFN OnAir

ESG and sustainability continue to dominate issuer funding strategies. What is a realistic assessment of the instruments and routes on offer to Shariah compliant green issuers, from green bonds and Sukuk, to transition instruments, to sustainable and sustainability linked products? What are key strategic considerations for green bonds and Sukuk issuers: proceeds; process for project evaluation; ma...

There has been, in the past couple of years, a strong push in Saudi Arabia for both Shariah compliant financing and SME funding, and the results are encouraging. In this podcast episode, Paul Melotto, CEO of Shariah compliant financing company Alraedah Finance, talks to IFN's Nessreen Tamano about the Saudi market.

In the backdrop of Norton Rose Fulbright lending a hand to UK charity Save the Children to access Zakat funds, the firm’s global chair, Farmida Bi, discusses the significance of the initiative as well as shares her two cents on the state of ESG finance within the context of the Islamic finance industry.

We pose a series of high-level strategic questions to senior representatives of the UK Islamic financial services industry. What is Islamic finance’s response to a rapidly shifting macroeconomic environment, and will inflation lead to innovative Islamic financial solutions? What form and scale might this innovation take? How can UK Islamic finance and investment create a genuinely competitive adva...

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 UK Islamic financial services? What would assist domestic Islamic financial institutions in the further development of Islamic digital retail, wealth management, Takaful and pension offerings in the UK? What are notable milestones and a...

How do policymakers balance the fulfillment of energy demands with the achievement of the principal goals of COP26? 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 and resources into sustainable economic activity, climate transition and social responsibility? How do...

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

What are the global investment flows and trends that continue to influence the deployment of Shariah compliant capital in the UK today? What are recent significant developments in Shariah compliant private equity, and can we identify potential targets for private equity investment in the UK market? What are the latest opportunities and demands for Shariah compliant direct investment into the UK re...

IFN Africa Dialogue 2022 •With ESG now driving financial innovation on the continent, what role will the symbiosis between Islamic finance and sustainable finance continue to play? •How can financial institutions facilitate the development of financing and investment products that satisfy both green and Islamic credentials? •With Sovereign Sukuk playing a leading role in African Islamic capital ra...

Agrarius Sustainability Engineered listed its inaugural Sukuk worth ZAR500 million (US$28.15 million) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on the 28th October 2022. ISFI speaks to Fatima Vawda, the managing director of 27four Investment Managers, to learn about this issuance.

The UK's fintech scene is vibrant and has great potential to grow, while demand in the real estate sector from Islamic investors remains high, Managing Associate Lingxi Wang and Associate Leena Payyappilly tell IFN's Nessreen Tamano in this podcast episode.

How are the key features of Oman Vision 2040 enabling growth of the Islamic banking and finance markets in Oman? How have successful regulatory initiatives contributed to Oman’s Islamic banking sector constituting more than 15% of the total banking market share? Will the new domestic Islamic banking landscape ultimately lead to enhanced product offerings and customer experience? Considering recent...

With Islamic real estate finance well established in the Sultanate, what is the scope for complex project and asset financing in Oman via Shariah compliant structures? Do Islamic products effectively lend themselves to fund public-private partnerships for the development of infrastructure and large-scale projects? What role should Islamic banks and venture capital play in this important activity,...

Identifying and evaluating key governmental and private sector initiatives designed to modernize and digitally transform the national economy, with a focus on Islamic financial services and digital assets. What measures would assist domestic Islamic banks in the further development of Islamic digital and crypto retail, wealth management, Takaful and pension offerings in Oman? How are regulator-fos...

What does the transition to green and sustainable financing potentially mean for Omani issuers, and how will Islamic structures play a meaningful role in the shift? What opportunities are there for important domestic sectors such as aviation, oil and gas and other asset-heavy industries to adopt sustainable fundraising programs? What is the potential for private sector financing of green infrastru...

With notable consolidation in recent years, what is a realistic assessment of the current Qatari Islamic financial services ecosystem, including banking and Takaful, and what opportunities and challenges now present themselves for the sector? With Qatar emerging as a leading Islamic fintech centre, how significant is the work of the Qatar FinTech Hub’s acceleration and incubation programs, and wha...

Despite rising inflationary pressures and the threat of a global recession looming, Islamic funds and investment activities are picking up, according to Barry Cosgrave, a partner at legal firm Mayer Brown. Vineeta Tan speaks to Cosgrave to get a sense of how Islamic investors are behaving during this global downturn.    

In an open discussion, we ask an expert panel to consider and highlight key points, ideas and initiatives, and how these can be put into action to drive Islamic sustainable finance and investment forward. As industry, what should be our next steps, and how should we measure the impact of what we are trying to achieve? What would represent meaningful goals and tangible achievements for the sector?...

Chung Chee Leong, president/CEO of Cagamas, sits down with Vineeta Tan to discuss the national mortgage corporation's plan to support Malaysia’s sustainability ambitions as well as the critical role (Islamic) financial institutions play in driving the agenda forward.  

What are the global investment flows and trends that continue to influence the deployment of Shariah compliant capital in north America today? What are recent significant developments in north American Shariah compliant private equity, and can we identify potential targets for private equity investment in the US market? What are the latest opportunities and demands for Shariah compliant direct inv...

Malaysia has seen a surge of Islamic peer-to-peer (P2P) finance service providers in the last 12 months. One of the latest entrants is Funding Societies. Vineta Tan speaks to Chai Kien Poon, the Malaysian country head for the P2P financier, to understand both its Islamic finance as well as neobanking ambitions. 

As we move into the tail end of 2022, we are globally facing an increasing number of climate- related challenges, from the devastating floods in Pakistan to the looming energy crisis in Europe. ISFI speaks to Marcel Omar Papp, the Head of Swiss Re Retakaful Malaysia, to learn more about how sustainability risk impacts Takaful and re-Takaful operators.