The IFSB Seminar on Strategies for the Development of Islamic Capital Markets and Roundtable on the Development of Islamic Real Estate Investment Trusts on 27 – 28 June 2013 in Hong Kong

Kuala Lumpur, 17 June 2013 – The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) is pleased to announce that it will be organising a Seminar on Strategies for the Development of Islamic Capital Markets on 27 June 2013 and a Roundtable on the Development of Islamic Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) on 28 June 2013 in Hong Kong, which will be hosted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and supported by the Treasury Markets Association. The participation for the Seminar is open to all while the Roundtable is by invitation only.

The Keynote Address of the one-day Seminar on Strategies for the Development of Islamic Capital Markets, on 27 June 2013 will be delivered by the Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority, Abdullah Salem Al-Turifi. The Seminar aims to provide a general overview on issues related to the development of Islamic capital markets in light of the current changes in the global financial scene. With growing demand for Islamic capital market products, the Seminar will discuss the current trends, potential and prospects of the Islamic capital markets moving forward. The topics of discussion include:

• Development and Trends in Islamic Capital Market
• Development of Sukūk: Challenges and Opportunities
• Development of Islamic Collective Investment Schemes
• Bringing Islamic Capital Market to the Mainstream

The full line-up of Chairpersons and Speakers for the Seminar are:

1. Jaseem Ahmed, Secretary-General, Islamic Financial Services Board
2. Peter Pang, Deputy Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
3. Abdullah Salem Al-Turifi, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (Keynote address)
4. Howard Lee, Executive Director, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
5. Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin, Executive Director, Islamic Capital Market, Securities Commission Malaysia
6. Dr. Ali Al Amari, Senior Director of the Regulatory Affairs, Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority
7. G. Gulfer Ozsahin, Deputy Head of Corporate Finance, Capital Markets Board of Turkey
8. Aria Putera Ismail, Head, Global Markets Islamic, Maybank Islamic, Malaysia
9. Rajiv Vishwanathan, Associate Director, Corporate & Infrastructure Ratings, Standard & Poors, Singapore
10. Peter Casey, Former Director, Dubai Financial Services Authority, UAE and IFSB Consultant
11. Faheem Ahmed, Senior Technical Advisor, Islamic International Rating Agency, Bahrain
12. Dongchoon Yi, Member of Secretariat, Islamic Financial Services Board

The Roundtable on the Development of Islamic REITs scheduled on 28 June 2013, is a landmark event for the IFSB being the first platform organised by the IFSB to specifically discuss matters related to Islamic REITs. In line with the IFSB mandate, the Roundtable will have specific discussions on regulatory and cross-border issues related to the development of Islamic REITs. It also aims to act as a platform to understand the current status of Islamic REITs globally, as well as discuss its prospects and challenges. The half day Roundtable will also examine the necessary conducive infrastructures to promote the development of this industry segment.

The full line-up of Chairpersons and Speakers for the Roundtable include:

1. Jaseem Ahmed, Secretary-General, Islamic Financial Services Board
2. Howard Lee, Executive Director, Hong Kong Monetary Authority
3. Christina Choi, Senior Director, Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong
4. Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin, Executive Director, Islamic Capital Market, Securities Commission Malaysia
5. Dr. Ali Al Amari, Senior Director of the Regulatory Affairs, Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority
6. Rafe Haneef, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad
7. Richard Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Gatehouse Bank plc, United Kingdom
8. Peter Casey, Former Director, Dubai Financial Services Authority, UAE and IFSB Consultant
9. Gregory Man, Registered Foreign Lawyer, Clifford Chance, Hong Kong

To ensure constructive discussions, both Seminar and Roundtable are targeted at participants from both sides of the financial services spectrum – regulatory authorities and policy-makers as well as market players who are involved in the development and offering of the Islamic capital markets and REITs, including those legal and accounting firms, auditors, investment and Takāful professionals.

Interested participants are welcome to register their attendance to these events at http://www.ifsb.org. Please contact Mrs. Ida Shafinaz Ab. Malek at [email protected] for further information on both the Seminar and the Roundtable.