The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Institute is gearing up for the highly anticipated 18th edition of the IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance. This significant event is slated to take place in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on April 28, 2024. It will be held in concert with the IsDB Group Annual Meetings and the organization’s momentous Golden Jubilee Celebration.
As a premier event held in tandem with the Annual Meetings, this year’s Forum is set to convene a diverse group of luminaries, including thought leaders, policymakers, and financial experts. Together, they will engage in critical discussions on pioneering tools designed to propel sustainable development within the realm of Islamic finance.
The forum’s theme, ‘Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership in Islamic Finance’, will be encapsulated through keynote addresses from distinguished speakers such as IsDB Chairman Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, the Saudi National Development Fund’s Governor Dr. Stephen Groff, and Eng. Mutlaq H. Al-Morished, CEO of Tasnee Corporation.
Highlighting the event will be the presentation of the 2024 IsDB Prize for Impactful Achievement in Islamic Economics. This year, the honor is bestowed upon Prof. Mehmet Asutay from Durham University, whose work in Middle Eastern and Islamic Political Economy & Finance has earned him significant acclaim.
Post-award festivities include two insightful sessions. The first will delve into entrepreneurship and its crucial role in fostering sustainable development, especially within Islamic finance. This session will feature insights from Mohammad Abdulhameed Al-Mubarak, CEO of Madinah Knowledge Economic City, Dr. Zeger Degraeve, Executive Dean at Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College, Morrad Irsane, CEO and Founder of TAKADAO, and Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of the IsDB Institute.
The second session promises to spotlight the Smart Stabilization System, an innovative patent-pending algorithm created by the IsDB Institute to enhance stability in financial markets. For this discussion, Matthew Van Niekerk, Founder & CEO of SettleMint, and Dr. Hilal Houssain, Associate Manager of the Knowledge Solutions Team at IsDBI, will take the stage.
In addition to the enriching sessions, the forum will also herald the unveiling of a new report by the IsDBI titled ‘Catalyzing Social Entrepreneurship through Islamic Finance’. This report will explore the synergies between Islamic finance, social entrepreneurship, and impact investing.
Established in 2006, the IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance serves as a prestigious platform for strategic policy dialogue, focusing on the nexus of knowledge, innovation, and the development of Islamic finance.