More than 500 participants to attend 12th World Islamic Banking Conference

The World Islamic Banking Conference has been at the forefront of developments in the Islamic Banking & Finance Industry since 1993 and features of this year's event include the WIBC Competitiveness Report, Takaful Summit, Islamic Ratings Seminar, Governors Table, Retail Banking Summit, Corporate & Investment Banking Summit, Leaders & Winning Strategies session, and the Shari'ah Open Forum.

"Unlocking Market Opportunities: Consolidation, Innovation & Growth" is the theme for this year's event. Some 50 speakers will address conference delegates through interactive sessions moderated by Nima Abu Wardeh of BBC's Middle East Business Report who will probe the issues on the agenda from all angles.

Leading industry players are again participating in WIBC 2005. HE Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank IDB commented "Since its inception in 1975 the IDB has embarked upon a number of important initiatives to develop the Islamic financial services industry. It is currently finalizing a 10-year Master Plan in co-ordination with the Islamic Financial Services Board, to further develop this Industry. It is hoped that this conference will effectively address important issues related to Islamic banking and finance and provide an opportunity for sharing knowledge and experience." The Islamic Development Bank is the Multilateral Partner of WIBC 2005.

The conference will conclude with the high-powered PowerTable session, the focus of which will be State of the Industry: Performance, Growth and the Way Forward. A panel of leading international and regional specialists including policy makers, academics, scholars, business leaders and financial experts with expertise covering a wide range of subjects will answer questions posed by the WIBC audience. Participants can submit online questions to the PowerTable at www.megaevents.net/wibc.

Substantial information exchange and knowledge transfer will take place during the conference sessions, while activities and discussions on the sidelines of the main conference will also be particularly noteworthy. These include an invitation-only Performance Management session and CEO Strategy Sessions as well as major press conference announcements.

Another highlight of the WIBC are its networking functions. These include the International Industry Awards ceremony , which will be attended by the creme de la creme of the Islamic finance industry, and the World Islamic Banking Exhibition, which will showcase leading Islamic banks, Finance companies, Media, Insurance companies and IT providers specializing in solutions that improve efficiency & performance in the Islamic Banking & Finance industry.

WIBC 2005 exhibitors include the Bahrain Monetary Agency, Islamic Development Bank, Noriba Bank, Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain), National Commercial Bank, Samba Financial Group, Bahrain Financial Harbour, Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corporation, Unicorn Investment Bank, Gulf Finance House, Ernst & Young, Solidarity, Shamil Bank, CIMB Islamic (Malaysia), Gulf Investment Bank, Norton Rose, Al Baraka Group, Al Amin Bank, Al Bahrain Islamic Bank, Bahrain Islamic Bank, 01 Systems, Microlink, Path Solutions, Khaleej Finance & Investment, International Turnkey Systems, OHAD Trusts Corporate & Financial services, Temenos, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Banker Middle East, CNBC Arabiya , Zawya, Islamic banking & Finance, IFIS, Khaleej Times, Eurekahedge and Forbes.