The Islamic banking industry in Pakistan has progressed considerably since its introduction to the South Asian nation, with its share reaching almost 12% of the overall banking industry in terms of its asset size. The branch network of Islamic banking is continuously expanding throughout the country at a rapid pace on the back of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)’s goal of having 20% market share by 2020.
In this inaugural IFN Pakistan Forum 2016, professionals and experts across the Islamic finance industry will come together to exchange their views and engage in truly meaningful discussions in order for Shariah compliant finance to expand in the country. With a large number of participants from the international arena, the forum will be a groundbreaking introduction to Islamic opportunities in an economy that was recently upgraded from Frontier Markets to Emerging Markets in MSCI’s index.
Date: September 26, 2016
Time: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Venue: Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore
For more details and to register for the event please visit:
http://redmoneyevents.com/main/event.asp?IFN=Pakistan2016
The one-day forum will kick-start with an opening address by the SBP, followed by a keynote address by the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Vice Chancellor, Lahore University of Management Sciences. The first session will address the present opportunities in Pakistan’s Islamic banking industry, and representatives from Standard Chartered Saadiq and Citibank will discuss the industry’s outlook and current regulatory environment. The following session will take a look at project and infrastructure finance, and how Islamic finance could play a role in public-private partnerships, with Bank Alfalah and Dentons discussing their experiences in key markets of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the GCC, and how this could be replicated in Pakistan.
The third session of the day will go deeper into the Islamic capital and Takaful markets, and touches upon themes such as innovation, trends and performance. As Islamic finance progresses throughout the years, what are the current trends that will allow for more Shariah compliant capital-raising? What are some of the major challenges in issuing Sukuk in the country? In the final session of the day, the forum will see participation from Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA) and Summit Bank as they attempt to provide clarity on the development of talent in the industry. How prepared are the Islamic finance talents in meeting the needs of the industry in Pakistan? What can be done to give birth to a solid lineup of leadership? These are some of the thought-provoking questions that will certainly capture the minds of participants at the forum. In addition, the forum will also feature a two-and-a-half-hour ‘Pakistan Dialogue’ session – a high-level, invite-only, roundtable event comprising senior regulators and market leaders.
IFN Pakistan Forum 2016 will bring together leaders in the Islamic finance industry as they tackle some of the toughest questions pertaining to the industry. With its population slowly but surely becoming aware of the competitive depth of Islamic finance, Pakistan remains a vital market in the eyes of global investors for years to come.
