IsDB Global Forum to Explore Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership in Islamic Finance

This year’s Forum will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, financial experts, and other stakeholders in the Islamic finance industry to deliberate on innovative tools to foster sustainable development.

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Institute is pleased to announce the 18th edition of the IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance to be held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 28 April 2024, in conjunction with the IsDB Group Annual Meetings and Golden Jubilee Celebration.

Organized annually as a flagship side event of the Annual Meetings, this year’s Forum will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, financial experts, and other stakeholders in the Islamic finance industry to deliberate on innovative tools to foster sustainable development.

Under the theme “Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership in Islamic Finance”, the forum will have keynote speeches by H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of the IsDB Group; H.E. Dr. Stephen Groff, Governor of the Saudi National Development Fund; and Engineer Mutlaq H. Al-Morished, CEO, Tasnee Corporation.

The forum will witness the award presentation to the winner of the 2024 IsDB Prize for Impactful Achievement in Islamic Economics. Professor Mehmet Asutay, a professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Political Economy & Finance at Durham University, won the prize in recognition of his significant and influential contributions to the field of Islamic economics and finance.

Subsequently, the Forum will have two sessions. The first is a panel that aims to explore the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in advancing sustainable development, particularly within the Islamic finance paradigm. Panelists for the session are Mr. Mohammad Abdulhameed Al-Mubarak, CEO of Madinah Knowledge Economic City; Dr. Zeger Degraeve, Executive Dean of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College (MBSC); Mr. Morrad Irsane, CEO and Founder of TAKADAO; and Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of the IsDB Institute.

The second session will showcase the Smart Stabilization System, a patent-pending algorithm to enhance stability in financial markets, being developed by the IsDB Institute and implemented by the blockchain company SettleMint. The discussants will be Mr. Matthew Van Niekerk, Founder & CEO of SettleMint, and Dr. Hilal Houssain, Associate Manager of Knowledge Solutions Team, IsDBI.

The Forum will also feature the launching of a new IsDBI report titled “Catalyzing Social Entrepreneurship through Islamic Finance”, which explores the potential of Islamic finance to support social entrepreneurship and impact investing.

The IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance is an annual high-level forum initiated in 2006 as a platform for strategic policy dialogue on knowledge and innovation in Islamic finance and development.

April 22, 2024