IslamicFinance.de

Report “Believers in the Boardroom. Religious Organisations and their Shareholder Engagement Practices” by 3IG

The practitioners report “Believers in the Boardroom. Religious Organisations and their Shareholder Engagement Practices” by 3IG is online. Please access the practitioners report by clicking on the following link :

http://issuu.com/3ignet.org/docs/3ig_rse_practitioners_report_final_2012...

The report also remains available as hard copy: http://www.3ignet.org/documents/OrderRSEresearchnow.pdf

Call for Papers: THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ISLAMIC ECONOMICS AND FINANCE (ICIEF)

THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
ISLAMIC ECONOMICS AND FINANCE (ICIEF)
Growth, Equity and Stability: An Islamic Perspective
10-12 September 2013, Istanbul, TURKEY

The Ninth ICIEF at a Glance

Recovery from the global financial crisis and subsequent economic downturn remains fragile. Persistent risks to financial and economic development include sluggish growth in developed countries – which is now spilling over into developing economies as well; increasing income and wealth inequalities; and still-unrestored financial, economic and political stability in many regions. High poverty and unemployment rates, large macroeconomic imbalances, deteriorations in sovereign credibility, increasing food price volatility and food shortages, and lack of access to basic infrastructure further intensify and magnify these risks – particularly for the underprivileged segments of the world population. As a result, for many countries it has become even more challenging to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations.

Call for Manuscripts and Papers: Impact Philanthropy and Investing

Call for Manuscripts and Papers

Volume-I

Impact Philanthropy and Investing

Connecting Innovation with Ground Realities*

A volume in the Academy of Philanthropy

International Perspectives on Philanthropy Series

The first Journal from the Academy of Philanthropy will use the recently held Global Donors Forum 2012 as a platform for a focus on Impact Philanthropy and investing with a particular focus on impact and accountability in Muslim Philanthropy. This is an invitation to contribute manuscripts or papers for this first Journal. Full details on the areas of interest and how to submit material may be found below.

*Based on the nature of submissions the subtitle may be adjusted accordingly.
Call for Manuscripts and Papers
Volume I : Impact Philanthropy and Investing
A volume in the Academy of Philanthropy International Perspectives on Philanthropy Series
Editor: Dr. Yunus Sola, Director, Academy of Philanthropy, London and Chicago. ysola@thewcmp.org

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Goldman Sachs Sukuk

Dear Reader,

The last weeks we have read about criticism in regard to the Sharia compliance of the Sukuk program of the investment bank Goldman Sachs:

< Mohammed Khnifer reveals, after examining the offer circular thoroughly, three possible flaws in the overall structure.
1- Strong indication from the proposed structure and the prospectus as well that the sukuk is not, as they claim, Murabaha, but a Reverse Tawarruq.
2- Strong indication that Goldman will be using, eventually, the proceeds to fund its conventional activities.
3- The so called Murabaha sukuk is listed on the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE). There are some concernes on how the ISE will make sure that the securities will be traded at par value.>>

http://www.islamicfinance.de/?q=node/3155

Some remarks to this discussion:

Oman First Islamic Finance & Banking Conference, 23 - 24 Jan 2012, Muscat - Oman

The Oman First Islamic Finance & Banking Conference will bring together more 400 high level participants including governors of central banks, other industry regulators, Islamic and commercial banking leaders, fund managers, Sharia and legal experts, and world level consultants.

Further details:
http://www.iktissadevents.com/events/OIF/1

Muslim Philanthropy Awards [2011] Announced at World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists Banquet

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 23, 2011 – The Muslim Philanthropy Award winners were announced at the 4th annual banquet of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists in Dubai, UAE.

Every year, the Muslim Philanthropy Award honors an individual, a grantmaking institution and a corporation for their distinguished contribution to the field of philanthropy.

The Muslim Philanthropy Awards for 2011 were awarded to H.R.H. Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (Personality) for demonstrating outstanding civic and charitable responsibility; Islamic Development Bank, Saudi Arabia (Grantmaker) for showing long-standing commitment to economic empowerment, human dignity, and institutional building; and Abraaj Capital, UAE (Corporation) for demonstrating longstanding leadership in advancing strategic philanthropy, creativity in responding to societal problems, and having significant positive impact on corporate giving in MENA region.

Bank Sarasin urges a stronger focus on Islamic Financial Planning

The key challenges and opportunities addressed in the Islamic Wealth Management Report are:

•Managing the Islamic wealth cycle through the entire process of wealth acquisition, preservation and distribution and achieving the required balance between spiritual and worldly obligations.
•Understanding the primary issues facing Waqf donors despite the strong growth drivers in this market: poor performance is due in part to the shortage of professionals leading to low quality asset management and lack of transparency.
•Considering the suitability of the Swiss private banking family office structure as a wealth management tool to ensure effective Islamic governance.
•Addressing the challenges facing Islamic mutual funds to achieve growth and performance.
•Recommending standardisation, education and diversification of Sukuk in order to increase the supply of products and the liquidity of the market.
•Analysing Islamic equity and indices performance over the last year to illustrate that diversification remains key for investment without compromising Islamic principles.

Quarterly Bulletin of Malaysian Islamic Capital Market by the Securities Commission Malaysia Online

The Quarterly Bulletin of Malaysian Islamic Capital Market by the Securities Commission Malaysia is online; it features thoughts of Professor Volker Nienhaus on Regulations and Shariah in the aftermath of the crisis and contains further market updates.

CIMB Asset Management Monthly Sukuk Newsletter

CIMB Asset Management has launched a monthly newsletter about the Sukuk market:

"Industry practitioners are positive that 2011 will favour the sukuk industry and various indicators show that a delayed resuscitation of the Islamic bond market is on track this year. As economies recover and high crude oil prices help to revive the market, sales of international sukuk are forecasted to grow over USD22 billion this year, which represents a 29 per cent increase from the previous year. The upswing in corporate spending, an increase in issuers seeking funding diversification and improving investor sentiment in the Gulf are also expected to fuel the sukuk market globally.

According to the HSBC/NASDAQ Dubai US Dollar Sukuk Index, the difference between average yields for emerging-market sukuk and the London interbank offered rate narrowed to 282.7 basis points on
6 January 2011 - the least since August 2008. Industry practitioners agree that the low sukuk yield spreads should entice sukuk issuers to tap the market.

2nd Sarajevo Business Forum to convene April, 6-8, 2011

Sarajevo Business Forum aims at reviving the culture of open dialogue among statesmen and international figures from various countries, as well as presenting Bosnia & Herzegovina and its region to international investors.

The Forum will comprise of two parts. Under its first part, the Forum will present a meeting point for a selected group of statesmen where they will exchange views on the issues related to the civilization dialogue in general, and peace and prosperity in Southeastern Europe in particular.

Under its second compact, Sarajevo Business Forum will be a forum between local businesses, government and international investors aiming at attracting international capital to the country and to the region, which in turn will be instrumental in enhancing economic prosperity and thus peace.

Sarajevo Business Forum thus aims at erasing the remnants of sad recent history of the country and making it once more a center for open interaction between cultures and businesses.

http://www.sarajevobusinessforum.com/en/conference/

Islamic Finance Session at the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists

Alberto Brugnoni, ASSAIF, will moderate the Session on 'Finance and philanthropy' at the “4th World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists - Defining the Roadmap for the Next Decade” that will convene at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai on March 23-24, 2011

Muslim Philanthropy is at a crossroad, challenged to build new models of giving while simultaneously refining old methods embedded in vibrant Islamic tradition. The foremost challenge in the field is to promote strategic and accountable philanthropy that complements and enhances the generations-old conventional charity, which is often personal and spontaneous

The Session will examine within a common framework the failure of zakat to achieve most of its socio-economic objectives, the stagnation of waqf institutions in performing their designated social functions and the growing divergence between the aspirations of Islamic economics and the realities of the Islamic finance industry. It will also offer actionable programme plans for zakat and innovative ways of using the institution of waqf to establish social enterprises, as possible common solutions

Call for Papers: SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ISLAMIC ECONOMICS AND FINANCE

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Doha, Qatar - December 25-27, 2011

CALL FOR PAPERS

The global economy continues to face the perennial problems of poverty, persistent youth unemployment, excessive inequalities of income and wealth, high levels of inflation, large macroeconomic and budgetary imbalances, exorbitant debt-servicing burdens, inadequate and aging public utilities and infrastructure, skyrocketing energy prices, and growing food insecurity. The reoccurring regional and global financial crises further intensify and magnify these problems particularly for the underprivileged segments of the world population. As a result, many countries are at the risk of failing to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations. However, some countries also present optimistic experiences to share, and from which useful lessons can be drawn for shaping the future economic scene in other countries.

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Congress of Muslim Philanthropists Online - March 23-24, 2011, Venue Change: Dubai

The annual convening of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists, widely recognized as the premier forum on Muslim Philanthropy worldwide, welcomes social investors, grant-makers, government and business leaders, visionaries, and civil society executives to a solicitation-free collaborative environment.

The 4th World Congress will initiate a dialogue around the potential roadmap for Muslim Giving in the next decade. This discussion will be enriched by the collective wisdom and experience of leading philanthropists and intellectuals from around the world. The forum will also examine challenges unique to Muslim societies, and offer options for managing them.

Update 17th Feb 2011:

The organizers of the 4th World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists regret to announce the change of meeting venue due to circumstances beyond their control. This unpredicted situation came about in response to the directives we received today from the Moroccan authorities. While we feel extremely disappointed, we believe it is prudent that we do not compromise on the safety of our guests.

Call For Submission

Islamic Finance Conference in Frankfurt, 18th November 2010 - Contingent for IslamicFinance.de Users

On 18 November 2010 the "Islamic Finance Conference" will be held in Frankfurt am Main as part of the 13th EURO FINANCE WEEK (EFW) taking place from 15 to 19 November 2010 under the auspices of Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The conference is organised in cooperation with the Union of Arab Banks. Institutional partner is the Institute for Islamic Banking and Finance.

The conference focuses challenges and opportunities of the Islamic Finance in Germany and in Europe and discusses investment trends, Sukuk’s opportunities as well as Islamic Wealth Management and last not least an Islamic Finance outlook.

Information about the event can be found under www.eurofinanceweek.com/islamicfinance

The organizer of the event, the Maleki Group, has offered a limited number of “Guest Ticket” exclusively for Islamic Finance group. Please note, admission upon the special guest ticket is very limited and the registrations will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tax assessment of Islamic finance models under German Tax law

Ernst & Young prepared a statement in response to a query by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany regarding he tax assessment of selected Islamic finance contractual models. The attached report covers the main findings including an English summary.

Source: 

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Stellungnahme_EY_zu_Islamic_Finance_-_Mai_2010/$FILE/Stellungnahme%20EY%20zu%20Islamic%20Finance_Mai%202010.pdf

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IslamicFinance.de invites its users to betatest the Islamic Finance WIKI

Dear User,

as salamu alaikum,

In these days I am testing the new function of IslamicFinance.de: The Islamic Finance WIKI.

For long time I felt a need to have a proper encyclopaedia on Islamic finance, which is up to date and easily accessible for all industry members.

Now I started, initially with a small glossary, which I want to add up. Also from the start other experts are invited to contribute: Just in the same way as the famous online Wikipedia was created. We do not need 1.000.000 entries, but just about 1000 good entries would help spreading knowledge and improving best practice. With far more than 5,000 visitors to IslamicFinance.de each month pretty realistic, dont you think?

So, please visit:

http://wiki.islamicfinance.de

and share some comments.

Editing rights for the time (till I have got a team of volunteers) on manual request to avoid spamming (yes, IslamicFinance.de was already spammed with comments about non Sharia compliant activities...). Please indicate your background, it will not be stored on the website itself, just for me to avoid unpleasant vandalization of the site itself.

NINTH HARVARD UNIVERSITY FORUM ON ISLAMIC FINANCE

Ninth Harvard University Forum on Islamic Finance, Building Bridges Across Financial Communities,

March 27-28, 2010, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA., USA

The Ninth Harvard University Forum on Islamic Finance, hosted by Harvard Law School’s Islamic Finance Project, will be held at Austin Hall, Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on March 27th- 28th, 2010. The theme of the conference will be “Building Bridges across Financial Communities” as it relates to the field of Islamic Finance.

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Calling Islamic financial institutions to become member of the United Nations Finance Initiative

IslamicFinance.de is calling Islamic financial institutions to become member of the UNEP Finance Inititiave to learn and contribute to international best practice in ethical and faith based finance:

"UNEP FI is a global partnership between UNEP and the financial sector. Over 180 institutions, including banks, insurers and fund managers, work with UNEP to understand the impacts of environmental and social considerations on financial performance."

membership information package:
http://www.unepfi.org/fileadmin/forms/MembershipInformationPack.pdf

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