Course: Islamic Finance & Banking

London, UK

BACKGROUND

Islamic finance has grown tremendously in recent years. Since 1982, Islamic Institutions have witnessed a 40-fold increase in total assets, which currently top US $260 billion. Today, Islamic financial Institutions operate in more than 75 countries and it is estimated that the Islamic market will continue to grow at annual rates averaging 15%, with total assets exceeding US $1,000 billion by 2016.

Since its initial inception in the 1970's, the changes in Islamic finance have been enormous. Today, the fastest growth segments of the industry are outside traditional banking products and in areas that were initially dismissed as Islamically unacceptable such as insurance, "Takaful" or those that barely existed at the time, e.g. Islamic mutual funds.

The Islamic market has become extremely sophisticated, as well as increasingly competitive and attractive to foreign investors. In the meantime, virtually all large western financial institutions are involved in Islamic finance whether through Islamic subsidiaries "Islamic windows" or the marketing of Islamic products.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 3-day intensive & comprehensive programme emphasises the evolutionary and interconnected nature of Islamic finance. It provides practitioners the opportunity to understand the underlying religious principles and their interpretation, as well as the diversity and adaptive mechanisms of Islam.

On the first day of the course delegates will be introduced to the principles and practice of Islamic finance: religious principles and their interpretations (Riba, Gharar, Zakat and the "moral economy" of Islam); the two aggiornamentos of Islamic finance; and country differences.

The second day will provide an in-depth look at the full range of Islamic products used in commercial and investment banking, insurance, mutual funds, wholesale and retail/domestic and international banking, and stock markets.

On the third day strategic issues, challenges facing financial institutions, and future trends are discussed. More specifically, delegates will cover strategic options for various institutions, marketing strategies and approaches to Islamic customers, political, regulatory and religious challenges.

The course uses a mixture of lectures and case studies to enable delegates to apply the principles of Islamic finance learnt on the programme.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This comprehensive course is designed to cater to a wide audience of both experienced practitioners and new entrants into Islamic finance. It is directed toward individuals or institutions involved in any aspect of Islamic finance (commercial or investment banking, insurance, mutual funds etc.); institutions that are considering entering the field; those that create and market Islamic products; and professionals who deal with Islamic institutions.

• Senior finance and strategy executives
• Analysts
• Corporate financiers
• Project financiers
• Compliance officers
• Insurance experts
• Regulators
• International bankers
• Emerging markets specialists
• Fund managers
• Retail and private bankers

Course page at EuroMoney.