IFN OnAir

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...

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...