International Islamic Finance Awards to be announced at Dubai Forum

The Islamic Finance Awards in the name of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Defence Minister of the United Arab Emirates, will be made at the biggest networking event in Islamic finance to be held in Dubai later this month.

Sheikh Mohammed is the patron of the International Islamic Finance Forum, a twice a year event which attracts more than 400 participants from around 50 countries and is dubbed "the premier event in Islamic finance."

The first Forum of 2005 takes place in Dubai at the J.W. Marriott Hotel from 13 to 15 March and the awards will be presented to the winners at a Gala Dinner sponsored by the Saudi Economic and Development Company that will be held at the ballroom of the Emirates Towers Hotel.

The Sheikh Mohammed awards are in only three categories and the winners of each are selected from nominations from all over the world by a panel of distinguished judges.

The judges are leading United States based Shariah scholar Sheikh Dr Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo; the Pakistan based correspondent for, among others, the Financial Times and The Banker magazine, Farhan Bokhari; and Rushdi Siddiqui, Global Director of the Dow Jones Islamic Indexes.

The three awards will be made for Innovation In Islamic Finance; Achievement In Islamic Finance; and for a New Voice In Islamic Finance.

Nominations for the Sheikh Mohammed Islamic Finance Awards include:
• Islamically structured real estate projects in the Middle East
• Equity funds jointly developed by leading Islamic banks
• Mortgage and securitisation pioneers in the Middle East, Europe and North America
• Asia-based individuals and institutions for their leading roles in Islamic finance
• Sukuk (Islamic bond) issuers in the Middle East and Asia
• Islamic retail finance houses in the Middle East and Europe
• Financial regulators in Asia and the Middle East

"The judges have been confronted with an impressive list of contenders for the awards due to the huge growth in Islamic finance and product in recent years," said Chris Mullinger, the Forum director.

"We are grateful for the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and unlike other financial awards which are issued to virtually all nominations, there are only three made at the Forum, making them more prestigious for the recipients."