International experts to address growth, profitability and the way forward for the global Islamic banking industry

Current landmark deals, increasing international expansion, the launch of major new institutions, and IPOs from significant players is making 2006 an especially dynamic and pivotal year for the global Islamic banking and finance industry.

The PowerTable, a high-powered debate at the 13th Annual World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC 2006), will assemble a panel of leading international and regional specialists - including policy makers, bankers, scholars, business leaders and financial experts - to debate the new developments, challenges, risks and opportunities of Islamic Banking: And the Way Forward for the Industry.

As Geert Bossuyt, Head of Middle East Structuring of Deutsche Bank confirms, "Islamic Finance is now a widely recognised financial market but the need for education, product knowledge and liquidity is still high. As the Powertable sponsor of the WIBC 2006, Deutsche Bank hopes to raise some key issues that surround the industry today."

The unique PowerTable interactive format will answer pre-determined and supplementary questions posed by the audience and will result in the WIBC 2006 Summation & Findings. The debate will be moderated by Dina Salem, Program Editor & Presenter of Al Arabiya News Channel to ensure the key issues are probed rigorously and result in meaningful new insights on the direction of the industry at this critical juncture.

The panel of experts contributing to the PowerTable discussions includes:
Geert Bossuyt, Head of Middle East Structuring, Deutsche Bank, Nasr-Eddine Benaissa, Partner (Principal), McKinsey & Company, Sameer Abdi, Executive Manager, Islamic Financial Services Group, Ernst & Young, Badlisyah Abdul Ghani, CEO & Executive Director of CIMB Islamic Bank, Jaafar Badwan, Managing Director - Capital Markets and Corporate Finance, Unicorn Investment Bank, Mustafa E. Al-Saleh, Chairman & MD , Adeem Investment Co., Abdulrazzak Elkhraijy, Islamic Retail Banking Division Head, National Commercial Bank and Shaikh Nizam Yaquby, Shariah Advisor.

The PowerTable at WIBC 2006 will result in groundbreaking discussions at a critical time for the Islamic banking and finance industry as market expectations continue to fuel the need for further growth. Despite the optimism surrounding future growth prospects, leading Islamic banks are now realising that they will have to substantially improve key business areas today if they are to capture future growth opportunities and attain the levels of profitability expected of them.