Islamic finance skills in high demand

The Sharia-compliant banking industry is in dire need for highly skilled and talented human capital because the sector is growing faster than educational institutes can provide professionals. Experts say emerging markets would require at least 50,000 Islamic finance professionals in the next few years to keep the sector moving. Producing Islamic finance specialists presents challenges, though. Islamic banking, in principle, is of higher complexity than its conventional counterpart, and the expertise where Islamic finance talent is needed includes Sharia-compliant financial engineers and product developers who structure innovative financial solutions tailored for both Muslim and non-Muslim markets.