Michael Gassner

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Roadshow in Germany - Berlin, Heilbronn, München

Meine erste Roadshow zum Thema Finanzen für Muslime in Deutschland nach einer Reihe von Vorträgen in der Schweiz - freue mich auf rege Teilnahme und bitte die Info weiterleiten - hier die Orte, Uhrzeit und je nach Standort Möglichkeit zur
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Buchvortrag Berlin "Islam, Geld und Wohlstand" am 10. Januar 2023 um 19:30 in Berlin
mit anschliessender Gelegenheit zur Buchsignierung:
Wo?
Arresalah e.V. Moschee,
Turmstraße 83, 10551 Berlin

Themen:
Islam, Geld und Wohlstand – das Finanzbuch aus islamischer Sicht: Warum macht das Zinsverbot Sinn? Wie wirken Schulden für Arme und Reiche? Wie geht ein Muslim mit Schulden um? Wird Vermögen positiv oder negativ gesehen? Wie Geld erwerben, bewahren und ausgeben? Was ist Geld, was sind Kryptotoken? Welche Meinungen vertreten Gelehrte zum Hauskauf? Welche Aktien kommen infrage? Sind Versicherungen islamkonform? Wie wird die Sozialabgabe Zakat berechnet? Welche Aspekte gibt es bei Nachlassplanung und Testament? Für Muslime und alle, die offen und interessiert sind.

Podiumsdiskussion am 11.1.2023 um 18.00 Uhr in Berlin in der Katholischen Akademie

Hier die Infos vom Veranstalter:

"Gott und Geld

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Samstag, 20.2.21, 21:00 - Tutorial - zielbasierte Vermögensaufteilung, Aktien, Sukuk, Immobilien, Renten und Vorsicht vor Betrug

m Dritten Teil der Vortragsserie stelle ich Euch/Ihnen vor, wie und warum Vermögen aufgeteilt wird, warum es wichtig ist dabei die Ziel zu berücksichtigen, welche Finanzprodukte hierfür in Frage kommen und welche religiösen Fragen von halal, haram und Charakterentwicklung sich stellen.
Geld (Euro, Gold, Silber, Crypto?), Unternehmen (Crowdfunding, Aktien), Immobilien und Kreditversicherung, Staatliche Rentenversicherung und Vorsicht vor Finanzbetrug.

Der Vortrag ist im Browser über den folgenden Link zu verfolgen oder mit besserem Bild in der MS Team App.

Am Samstag, den 20.2.21 um 21:00:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OTY0NGQ0MGMtZjZkY...

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Online Lecture Islamic wealth management Part 1: Tuesday 26th Jan 2021 - 7 pm GMT/UK

Hosted and moderated by Kristiane Backer, Michael Gassner is speaking on Islamic wealth management in three lectures - based on his upcoming book in German about Islam, Finance and Prosperity ( http://www.islamicwealthmanagement.com )

Please register: https://mailchi.mp/87418bf06f04/newmuslimsforum

Part 1 will discuss the issues with debt, interest and inequality - why does interest prohibition does make sense? What is wrong with today's tax rules, banking rules and monetary policy in a nutshell? Rather than going into various explanation, Michael argues that exponential growth of debt is the core of the problem. The poor getting poor and the rich richer? He explains how debt and interest really shifts wealth.

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Geneva, CH: Islamic Finance Afterwork Networking - Tuesday, 17 April 2018, 6.15 pm

Please feel free to join the afterwork Islamic finance networking event. The online voting showed that Tuesday, 17 April 2018 is the most favoured date by the overwhelming majority. I appreciate if you send me a short email about your attendance to notify the venue about the number of people to be expected: gassner@islamicfinance.de .

Venue: Halles de l'Île, Place de l'Ile 1, 1204 Genève - http://www.brasseriedeshallesdelile.ch/
Google Maps: https://tinyurl.com/ybd35x5u

In fact over years I made the acquaintance of a number of professionals, but we rarely come together.

As there are no sponsors, this is private, including everybody's food & beverage. Going forward I think about a monthly or bimonthly luncheon with brief lecture on a changing subject.

Additionally, there is large Islamic finance summit coming up, also in 26-27 April 2018 in Zurich: http://rfisummit.org/ - I plan to be there on the first day at least.

If you are interested in philanthropy, please pre-register in desired capacity with the Global Donors Forum scheduled 10-12 September 2018 in London, which I am member of the Steering Committee: https://globaldonorsforum.org/preliminary-registration

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Bitcoin Mania versus Tulip Mania?

Dear Reader,

regular readers may remember my critic on bitcoin from an Islamic perspective missing intrinsic value. The former blog entry you find here: http://www.islamicfinance.de/?q=node/7840 - almost two years ago.

So far bitcoin just went up higher and higher, with wild fluctuations but nevertheless.

It reminds on how bubbles work, think about the tulip mania in 1637 a nice piece of economic history. A single tulip bulb was traded and bought on credit. Check the Wiki page on it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

As bitcoin has even less value than a tulip except for payment purposes, it is the payment functionality, which can lead to destruction. What happens if a new alternative currency is becoming en vogue, which has a better usability and faster transaction time? In my view this is most likely trigger to burst the bubble.

FT Alphaville covers now the difficulties coming up with bitcoin's increasing transaction numbers causing inconvenience in using the digital currency:

https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2017/05/17/2188961/the-currency-of-the-futur...

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Editorial Note: UNICEF Cycling For Children

Dear Readers,

Currently we face several humanitarian crisis, the most afffected are the children. The large organisations need more funds. UNICEF organises the Cycling for Children challenge, which I will join.

Please support my effort and campaign by donating today online via:

https://www.unicef.ch/en/cycling-for-children/action/michael-gassner

My best wishes, and thanks on behalf of all the kids!

Michael Gassner

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Are Contract for Differences #CFD / #Binary Options halal? Well, no. Why?

Many Muslims contacted me in the last years with one single repeating question: Are CFD and/or Binary Options halal meaning permissible in Islam? There are indeed forex brokers offering so called Islamic accounts avoiding outright interest. But still: A contract of difference does not involve the ownership of any underlying (currency, stocks etc.) hence money against money is exchanged in different amounts - this is the most simple test for the prohibited Riba. Any Muslim receiving such offers should therefore insist of receiving the Fatwa and if not provided leave out.

The intention on those trading activities everyone can ask himself; mostly it will be akin to gambling and this on top of the fact that the trading activity itself is a zero sum game; meaning what one wins another looses, which rules out again to participate in such business. It does not do any better that aside from luck the outcome is influenced by know how - the same is true for classical money games as Poker or Backgammon. Still nobody would classify Poker therefore as halal.

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The lack of equity finance - really a problem of moral hazard?

Michael Gassner, Editor of IslamicFinance.de presented on the 3ème Congrès International de la Finance Islamique “Les Banques Islamiques et le Financement des Entreprises: Pratiques et enjeux théoriques” en Marrakech, 25/26 Mai 2015.

The presentation discussed that exponential growth of debt in Islamic finance is ruled out, nevertheless, debt and equity finance exists. The specific significance of equity finance (musharaka, mudaraba) lies in need for solid debt/equity ratio, as Muslims shall never die being in debt. Still Islamic banks barely provide any equity finance and the reason often given are moral hazard costs. This is denied as debt as well as equity has specific moral hazard problems, and if anything, even conventional banks would offer a mixture of debt and equity. Rather the assumed reason appears to be in the regulation (capital weight) and taxation (interest deductibility), which makes equity financing from a bank 2-4 times at least more expensive than debt finance, and thus not worth being offered.

The attached presentation is in French.

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Islamic finance title from German translated to Chinese

Dear Reader,

The German language book on Islamic finance by the Editor of IslamicFinance.de and Dr Wackerbeck from Booz Consultants is now translated to Chinese.

Please find the biographical information below:

Authors: Michael Gassner / Philipp Wackerbeck
Title: Islamic Finance – Islam-gerechte Finanzanlagen und
Finanzierungen
ISBN number: 978-7-5139-0217-5
PUBLISHER: Beijing - Democracy and Construction Press
Pre-Publication Date: 2012.7

Full biographical details: http://db.lib.bua.edu.cn/asord/asorditem.php?asord_marc_no=0001344540

Orders: http://www.amazon.cn/%E4%BC%8A%E6%96%AF%E5%85%B0%E9%87%91%E8%9E%8D-%E7%B...

Book review about the German language original: http://www.rpi-virtuell.net/workspace/24686AD5-936C-476D-9EA0-65E2968590...

Best regards,

Michael Gassner

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IslamicFinance.de aims to raise USD 2'500 for quarterly running costs

Dear Reader,

IslamicFinance.de is privately funded for many years. Now, for the first time, you have the possibility to make a contribution, from one Dollar upwards!

The technical details, and the money transfer via paypal is organised by Kapipal a new online fundraising tool:

http://www.kapipal.com/islamicfinance

On the blog I gave some more thoughts about Islamic finance media for those interested: http://www.islamicfinance.de/?q=node/3454

Please also note: The fundraising action has a deadline, so act today, not tomorrow and tell your friends about it!

All donors who will leave a message will be listed in the article, which follows after closure of the fundraising period.

I am happy to meet you in person either on 19th March in Milano (http://www.islamicfinance.de/?q=node/3396) or on 10th May in Frankfurt (http://www.islamicfinance.de/?q=BAFINII) at the respective Islamic finance conference.

Wa at Taufiq min Allah, all the best,

Michael Saleh Gassner

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Islamic finance media - a challenge, and what one could do

Dear Readers,

Islamic finance media are a tricky service. This is true for various reasons: The Internet eats up the revenues, because everything ought to be free. Islamic banks are still a niche phenomena, and international banks like UBS or Deutsche are almost as large as the entire global Islamic finance industry. Consequently the marketing budgets are much lower, too.

Last not least, who should advertise? The banks among themselves or to the clients? Advertising from bank to bank, does usually not make much sense, but real client oriented formats are hard to find, too. May be this is a niche. Others, who could finance Islamic finance media are basically the service providers to the banks, but due to the limited number of Islamic financial insitutions, direct marketing, e.g. face to face meetings will be preferred.

This in short is the background why Islamic finance media are not so well established in terms of journalism and research, but mostly reflecting the press release as criticised by the makers of the Islamic Globe. See: http://www.theislamicglobe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article...

Follow IslamicFinance.de with Twitter

IslamicFinance.de installed on 18 April a new service to keep you updated with Islamic finance news by sending its content to a Twitter account allowing to follow news even by mobile phone, Wikipedia the online encyclopedia explains Twitter as follows:

"Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). [...] Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. The service is free to use over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service provider fees." Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

Please feel free to use just another free service related to IslamicFinance.de by following the news via Twitter:

Go to: http://twitter.com/IslamFinance

German: Vortrag - Ansätze in Europa zur finanziellen Einbindung von Muslimen

Der Vortrag zeigt vergleichsweise die Grösse und die Spezika des deutschen im Vergleich zum britischen Finanzmarkt für Muslime auf. Desweiteren werden Produktvorschläge, welche die Zielgruppe in Deutschland benötigt und Schlüsselbegriffe des Islamic finance erläutert. Ziel von Islamic finance ist somit die finanzielle Einbindung von Muslimen in Deutschland (financial inclusion).

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