Thomson Reuters launches Islamic Finance Gateway Community

"The Islamic Finance Gateway Community democratizes access to Islamic finance knowledge by connecting professionals to a vast network of subject matter experts and specialists, and provides round-the-clock access to superior market news, insider information and research analysis," - Dr. Sayd Farook, Global Head Islamic Capital Markets, Thomson Reuters.

"Our research confirms that the industry is in dire need of a neutral and moderated forum to share growth opportunities and best practices while learning from our collective challenges. Thomson Reuters is proud to be a facilitator of this forum which confirms our continued commitment to supporting the sustainable growth of the Islamic finance industry," added Dr. Farook.

The IFG Community gathers the industry online, and face-to-face at roundtable sessions and conferences. The online Community forum gives members free access to the latest market reports, insider information, and market news and analysis.

Community members also receive daily and weekly briefings that contain essential daily news and market movement coverage of all relevant Islamic asset classes. The briefings are dissected by IFG's team of analysts to provide forward-looking insights into the Islamic finance industry.

Face-to-face, the IFG Community will meet at conferences and roundtable sessions in different countries. The first of these was held in conjunction with the Community's soft launch in October 2012 in Dubai. The panel included a number of professionals from global institutions such as Ernst & Young, Deutsche Bank, and Labuan IBFC discussing "Will Islamic Finance crash?" As will be the case for all future sessions, the opening roundtable's report includes actionable outcomes the industry needs to implement in order to sustain future growth.

Industry and market players have responded positively to the IFG Community: "Islamic Finance Gateway community is critical to bring together innovative minds to discuss current & pioneering new ideas & developments seen across the global markets." - Nida Raza, Director, Islamic Finance Services, Ernst & Young.

"It was an informative and thought provoking evening with industry specialists deliberating on the current state of Islamic finance and the way to go forward. Forums and events like this are sure to bring together the best of the industry. In fact such forums can represent the industry to take up the cause of Islamic finance with the regulators and governments." - Bobby Shankeshwar, Chief Dealer, Sharjah Islamic Bank.