IFN OnAir

Despite the pandemic which has caused project delays globally, the Islamic project finance has performed relatively well. Mohammed Paracha, the head of the Middle East of Norton Rose Fulbright, however, notes that there are immediate challenges the industry must take stock of.

Shariah compliant syndicated financing facilities have become an attractive option for many corporates and entities in the MENA region, as Samer Eido, a partner at Allen & Overy with a focus on banking and finance in the Middle East, discusses with IFN’s Nessreen Tamano in this episode of the IFN Podcast.

The world of offshore finance is shrouded in mystery, and controversy. But offshore finance centers are gaining in popularity including within the Islamic finance community as they offer a host of attractive incentives including ease of issuance and tax favorability. Vineeta Tan speaks to Ayman Khaleq, co-leader of the Middle East practice of global law firm Morgan Lewis, also the winner of the IF...

More and more, we are seeing Sukuk issuers and Islamic finance transactions featuring green and sustainability elements in Malaysia and around the world. Azman Othman Luk and Kelvin Loh of Rahmat Lim & Partners discuss with IFN’s Nessreen Tamano what can be expected in this area.

In this episode, IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan sits down with Muneer Khan, a partner and the regional head for the Middle East at award-winning law firm Simmons and Simmons, to understand how Islamic fintech deals and the Shariah fintech sector are adapting to a rapidly changing world triggered by the global pandemic.

There is an area of opportunity within the Indonesian Islamic finance and banking sector for Islamic fintechs to bridge the gap between technology and Shariah finance, that ALAMI has pinned its focus on. Dima Djani, the CEO of the Shariah peer-to-peer platform, joins IFN's Nessreen Tamano in a podcast episode to discuss the work needed in this area.

The pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of the Islamic finance and banking industry, and while it is a challenge, Shariah financial institutions have turned to digital solution providers to support their transformation. Mohammed Kateeb, the group chairman and CEO of Path Solutions, speaks to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about how these challenges are addressed.

As Hejaz Financial Services gears up to launch Australia’s first fully-fledged Islamic bank pending an official licence from the regulator, its COO Muzzammil Dhedy speaks to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about the current status of Islamic finance and banking in the country.

At the start of this 2021, the AAOIFI Shariah Standard 59 on the sale of debt took full effect in several markets including the UAE. The standard impacts both the banking and Sukuk sectors, as it concerns with rollover of debts as well as tangibility ratios of assets. The new rules are seen by some as disrupting Sukuk growth, but some also see this as the right step toward ensuring Shariah integri...

DLA Piper's Paul McViety and Sohail Ali share their thoughts with IFN'S Nessreen Tamano on how well the global Islamic finance industry responded to the pandemic, as well as the opportunities the industry can take to hold a position of global significance.

The Iran Fara Bourse’s Structured Financial Product Market Manager Neda Bashiri and Strategy Director Mahsa Tavakoli speak to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about the upcoming products and initiatives in the Iranian capital market.  

Raheel Iqbal, the managing partner and global product head at Codebase Technologies, speaks to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about the challenges Islamic financial institutions have moving into the digital banking space.

Farmida Bi, the chair of Europe, Middle East and Asia at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, talks to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about some of the trends we can expect in the Islamic finance industry in the new year.

It has been a roller coaster of a year, with the pandemic having far-reaching impact across all sectors of the financial markets including commodities. In this episode, IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan speaks to Stephen Openshaw, CEO and managing director of UK-based Eiger Trading Advisors, to find out more about how the Islamic commodities market is doing.

Understandably, it has been a volatile year driven by a variety of factor, most significant of all, the COVID-19 pandemic. So how have these impacted the performance of Sukuk ? And what can we expect moving into the new year? Khoo Poh Sim, the head of global Sukuk at BNP Paribas Asset Management Najmah Malaysia, joins IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan on the show to share her thoughts.

In this episode, we speak to Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff, CEO of CIMB Islamic to learn how Malaysian Islamic banks are coping with the fallout of the pandemic, a sovereign credit rating downgrade and what to expect for 2021.

One of the pioneers of values-based banking, leading consultant David Korslund, talks to an early adopter of values-based banking, Arsalaan (Oz) Ahmed, CEO of HSBC Amanah.

Andrew Hauser, Executive Director for Markets, Bank of England delivered his keynote address at  IFN UK Forum 2020 . The long-awaited Shariah compliant non-interest-based deposit facility, an instrument years in the making, will be operational in the first quarter of 2021

Khaled Al Kayed, CEO of Bank Nizwa, joins IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan on the show to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and impending VAT implementation on Oman’s Islamic banking landscape, and also shines some light on what to expect next year.

On 24 Nov 2020, IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan speaks to TFX Islamic CEO Norita Ja’afar to canvas the Islamic supply chain finance landscape as this relatively new area of financing (particularly in the ASEAN region) begins to command more attention especially as the COVID-19 pandemic compels SMEs and corporates to seek more efficient alternative lines of financing to support operations.

On 17 Oct 2020, Christoph Kruecken, the global head of business development at structuring specialist Bedford Row Capital (BRC), speaks to IFN's Nessreen Tamano about how BRC is filling a gap in the Islamic liquidity market

In this exclusive episode of the Moody's podcast for IFN, Christian de Guzman and Alexander Perjéssy discuss sovereign credit perspectives related to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On 27 October 2020, IFN Managing Editor Vineeta Tan speaks to Vas Ramanujam, the director of insurance at global insurtech platform Cover Genius to discuss the development of the insurtech industry and what the future holds for Islamic insurtech

On 13 Oct 2020,  Matthew Martin, the founder and CEO of investment platform Blossom Finance, talks to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about their upcoming Sukuk issuances and Islamic fintech in Indonesia.

Kamrul Tarafder, the president & CEO of non-government organization ASA Philippines, speaks to IFN’s Nessreen Tamano about facilitating Islamic microfinance in the country, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.