The 1st Annual World Islamic Finance & Investment Conference to open tomorrow

The Conference will be inaugurated by HE Sheikh Salem Abdul Aziz Al-Sabah, Governor & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Kuwait, and the Keynote address will be given by Dr. Mohamad N. Alchaar, Secretary-General, Accounting & Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), who will focus on Creating a Standardised International Framework to Enable Industry Expansion.

In addition, speakers and panelists from Investment Dar, Adeem Investment, Central Bank of Bahrain, Kuwait Real Estate Bank, Ernst & Young, Rasameel Structured Finance, International Leasing & Investment Company, Sokouk Exchange Centre, TADAWUL Islamic Bank, International Turnkey System, Norton Rose, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Deutsche Bank, webMethods & Dubai Islamic Bank will address delegates during the conference.

The conference features interactive sessions covering the following key areas; Industry Leaders: International & Regional Expansion - The Next Growth Wave for Islamic Finance, Emerging Opportunities for Islamic Structured Finance, The Latest Trends in Islamic Leasing Products, The Shari'ah & Business Open Forum: Towards Global Consistency in Shari'ah Interpretations to Enable New Product & Market Development, Islamic Investments - Identifying the Key Growth Markets for Shari'ah-Compliant Funds, Rapid Growth & Product Innovation in the Islamic Capital Markets, Harnessing Technology as an Enabler for the Expansion of the Islamic Finance Industry, The WIFIC 2007 PowerTable: The Road Ahead - Realising the Potential of New Markets.

The Key features of this event include the high profile debate driven discussions, the Shari'ah & Business Open Forum, The WIFIC 2007 PowerTable & the Exhibition which will showcase the leading Islamic investment banks, financial institutions, advisory firms, and solution providers specialising in improving efficiency & performance in the Islamic banking, investment & finance industry.

WIFIC 2007 will conclude with the high-powered PowerTable session, focusing On the The Road Ahead - Realising the Potential of New Markets which will map out the key findings and recommendations of the conference.

The Conference proceedings will be in English, with simultaneous translation in Arabic.