IFN OnAir

The Nigerian Sukuk landscape has a busy year ahead, as regulators tighten up guidelines for issuances and both the government and the private sector turn to the Islamic debt capital market for its financing needs. Dr Akeem Oyewale, CEO of Marble Capital, talks to IFN's Nessreen Tamano about what we can expect in 2022 from Nigeria in this episode of the IFN Podcast.

We often use the terms ethical finance and Islamic finance interchangeably. But there are meaningful differences between Shariah compliant finance and the wider sustainability concepts, which also translates into performance differences. In this episode, we speak to Michael Orzano, the senior director of global equity indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices, to understand these distinctions and explo...

How does one miniaturize the Islamic economy? One tech company is attempting to do that. IBF Net Group, which has a presence in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Dublin is on a mission to leverage technology to create a Halal ecosystem with a focus on Islamic social finance. In this episode, we speak to CEO-designate Mohammed Alim to find out more about the blockchain projects the group has rolled out a...

Islamic sustainable finance is a very compelling proposition. But while it looks good on paper, it is harder to materialize in reality. In this episode, we speak to Dr Scott Levy, the CEO of Bedford Row Capital, and Professor Kevin Haines, Bedford Row Capital’s head of social policy, to understand if there is a hesitancy among Islamic issuers to enter the sustainable finance space and how we can o...

Khurram Hilal, Standard Chartered Bank’s CEO of global Islamic banking, describes Islamic and sustainable finance as a match made in heaven. In this episode, Khurram walks us through why he thinks this sector is ripe for the picking and share with us Standard Chartered’s Islamic sustainable finance strategy.

Sustainable finance is touted as the future of the Islamic finance industry. But how has the asset class fared so far? What innovation are we seeing in this space? Which markets are leading? In this episode, we speak to Bashar Al Natoor, the global head of Islamic finance at Fitch Ratings to canvas the global Islamic sustainable finance landscape

Compliance has a cost – and this also true in the case of Islamic sustainable finance. In this episode, we speak to Farmida Bi, the chair for Europe, Middle East and Asia at international legal firm Norton Rose Fulbright and the firm’s European Islamic finance head, to understand the regulatory landscape for Islamic sustainable finance.

We speak to Jennifer Schwalbenberg, chief governance office of DDCAP Group, a market-leading Islamic intermediary firm which has positioned sustainable and ethical finances its driving force. Jennifer elaborates how the UN PRI Signatory is tackling the Islamic sustainability agenda, which could be an example for other market players.

Sustainable and green Sukuk are the poster child of the Islamic ESG sector. But what are the factors an issuer needs to consider before tapping this asset class? In this episode, we speak to Chung Chee Leong, the CEO of Cagamas, the National Mortgage Corporation of Malaysia. Cagamas is the country’s largest debt issuer, which has also issued Sustainable Sukuk, to explore what issuers can learn fro...

Craig Reeves, the founder of Prestige Funds, talks to IFN's Nessreen Tamano about the hunt for yield in the sustainable Islamic investment space, as well as the overlap between Shariah compliant and sustainable asset management, in this episode of the IFN Podcast.

In this episode, Shakeel Adli, a partner and the global head of Islamic finance at CMS, provides his analysis on the global real estate market which, while it has been impacted by the global health crisis, has performed considerably well as Islamic investors grow in sophistication.  

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.