MANAMA — “Islamic Finance Innovation Day,” a new forum series taking place on Dec. 7, 2017 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, announced Monday that BIBF is its Knowledge Partner for the event focusing this year on Islamic Fintech in Strategic Partnership with the Bahrain Economic Development Board.

BIBF, which operates under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain, plays a vital role in the training and development of human capital. BIBF has been engaged in educating global talent across the Islamic banking and finance industry and was the first Institute to offer a Professional Qualification in this field – The Advanced Diploma in Islamic Finance (ADIF) leading to a UK MBA. In 1997, BIBF launched its Centre for Islamic Finance to better assist in fostering industry growth in Bahrain, across the Middle East and in other countries where Islamic financial institutions are based. The Centre has an international footprint, having trained in more than 20 countries worldwide and the most robust menu of training offerings in Islamic Finance globally including Fintech.

The forum, which expects the participation of approximately 100 high-level Islamic scholars, executives, standard-setting bodies and support organizations, is a two-part event featuring moderated roundtables on: “Islamic Fintech – Adopting an Innovation Agenda” and “Human Capital Development: Supporting Sustain Growth and Fintech Innovation.” Each roundtable will discuss various topics including the important role of Shariah and other regulations in the drive for innovation and further industry advancement.

“BIBF is pleased to join the “Islamic Finance Innovation Day” forum as its official Knowledge Partner. We work closely with the industry in all areas of training and development and are delighted to support the drive for innovation in Islamic Fintech both globally and in Bahrain. Through BIBF’s Centre for Islamic Finance, we continue to introduce initiatives and programmes to ensure that Islamic finance professionals have the skills and resources required to capitalise on opportunities in Fintech as it continues to transform both the conventional and Islamic financial landscape,” said Dr. Ahmed Al Shaikh, Director of BIBF.

Other notable organizations supporting the forum are: Industry Partners: Thomson Reuters, IIFM and the Responsible Finance and Investment Foundation (RFI) in addition to Media Partner IFN.

The forum series has been launched in Bahrain in order to leverage the Kingdom’s long-standing position as a leading Islamic finance center and pioneer in industry innovation. Bahrain has the largest concentration of financial institutions and funds registered and domiciled in the region. There are over 400 financial institutions licensed in the Kingdom including 25 Islamic banks. Bahrain’s strong information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and established platforms for innovation and entrepreneurship, also position it well to provide a regional hub and testing ground for Islamic Fintech investments. — SG