Banking conference to draw top speakers

21/09/2014 01:35 AST

The 21st annual edition of the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC 2014), which will be held with the support of Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, prime minister of Bahrain, and supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain, is scheduled to be held in Bahrain from Dec. 1 to 3. WIBC 2014 is set to continue its tradition of supporting growth, excellence and innovation in the industry built up over more than two decades of meeting the needs of the global industry leaders.

It is poised to break new records in December with more than 1,300 high-level industry attendees from 50+ countries set to join over 60 market-leading partners and sponsors for a very special and unique event that will focus on further boosting the global expansion of Islamic finance and prepare the industry to forge ahead with more success in the year ahead. The three-day event will commence on the Dec. 1 with a series of pragmatically focused pre-conference summits led by experienced and internationally renowned market leaders and experts. The main WIBC 2014 conference, which begins on Dec. 2, will be inaugurated by Rasheed Mohammed Al-Maraj, governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.

Much has been said about the phenomenal growth of the Islamic finance industry over the past decade - and the growth rates have been outstandingly impressive. Industry supporters have also lauded how successfully Islamic banking has largely weathered the global economic crisis that engulfed the conventional banking industry.

However, notwithstanding these achievements, much still needs to be done if the industry is to move beyond its niche status, truly come of age and play its part on the world stage.

The theme of the 21st Annual WIBC 2014 will focus on "Islamic finance: Toward the new paradigm shift in global financial markets" and will tackle key areas of the Islamic finance sector, including regulatory, strategic, Shariah, operational and risk transformation to ensure that the industry is able to build critical mass, expand its geographic reach and depth, and participate in large-scale deals seamlessly across jurisdictions — and, ultimately and most importantly, to successfully meet the needs of an ever-growing base of investors, customers and end-users.

Arab News