Masterclass – Introduction to Islamic Finance

The global Islamic finance industry grew by 11% in 2017 compared to the previous year to $2.4tn in assets and showed compounded annual growth of 6% since 2012.  The Ethical Finance Hub (EFH) is a Scottish Government-backed, practitioner-led body that connect individuals and organisations interested or active in ethical finance in order to: raise awareness, build capacity and facilitate practical activities (such as market research, events and advisory work) that supports the growth of the sector in Scotland. The EFH is committed to creating a fairer, more inclusive and socially responsible financial system.  Despite the remarkable recent growth of ethical and Islamic finance there are few academic or professional courses that provide commercially-focused pragmatic training. Our executive education courses do exactly that and we invite you to to register for this masterclass, delivered in partnership with UKIFC, that will provide you with an introduction to Islamic finance.  Overview Within a challenging global economic context Islamic finance continues to flourish and grow. Contrary to some common misconceptions Islamic finance is not confined to Muslim majority countries nor is it exclusively serving Muslim consumers. The UK is considered the western lead for Islamic finance and many non-Muslim consumers, drawn by the ethical nature and competitive pricing, have embraced Shariah compliant products. Indeed, in terms of commercial real estate, only last year the Bank of London and The Middle East paid £55m on the Shariah compliant acquisition of 1 Atlantic Quay in Glasgow – the office of the Scottish Government. Similar commercial transactions involving Gulf Islamic Investments and Gatehouse Bank have taken place in Aberdeen. The trend of positioning Islamic finance within the broader ethical finance umbrella has gained momentum in recent years. Whilst the core principles of Islamic finance, such as the prevention of investing in harmful / sinful industries, prohibition of speculation and the principle of risk-sharing, all directly correlate to ethical finance values and strategies Islamic finance employs even greater ethical rigour through the purifying of dividends, prohibition of interest and requirement for Shari’ah boards to certify products. This half day course will provide will begin with a comprehensive introduction to Islamic finance, its ethical foundations, core structures, and creation of Islamic banking products. Learning Objectives Understand and recognise key principles in Islamic finance Describe the key elements of Islamic finance product structures and associated terminology Understand the core contracts used to create Islamic finance products Recognise the market drivers behind the growth of Islamic finance Core Topics Key principles underpinning Islamic finance Overview of the Islamic finance sector Constructing contracts for Islamic finance products / instrument Commercial opportunities presented by Islamic finance The Trainer Omar Shaikh (Advisory Board, UKIFC) This course will be delivered by Omar Shaikh, Founding Director of UKIFC. A Chartered Accountant by profession Omar specialises in ethical finance, Islamic finance and private equity. Omar has advised, and trained, multiple governments on their capital markets, banking, pension and insurance regulation and is a regular speaker at ethical finance conference and events. As a founding director of UKIFC Omar pioneered the award winning Edinburgh Ethical Finance Round Table series, established Edinburgh as a destination for international ethical finance conferences and led the development of the Edinburgh Finance Declaration, an interfaith shared values in ethical finance joint venture between the Church of Scotland and Islamic finance. Omar also sits on the board of Edinburgh-based Ethical Finance Hub and recently launched the Global Ethical Finance Initiative, a coordinated programme of innovative activities, originating from Scotland, to promote finance for positive change. Course Cancellations Please note: as we price our executive education courses so keenly, the running of them is dependent on there being a set minimum number of delegates registered. Although unlikely, please be aware that unfortunately some courses may be cancelled if this requirement is not met. Should this happen, EFH will arrange for full refunds for all courses booked. We will liaise with registered delegates at least 2 weeks prior to each course date regarding this. Refund Policy Please take a few moments to familiarise yourself with our refund policy: Should you need to cancel your ticket, refunds may be given as follows: Up to 30 days before the event: full refundLess than 30 days before the event: no refund. If you (or a colleague in your place) do not attend the course you have booked, no refund will be given. Please note: Tickets are transferable within your organisation.