Fulfilling Potential: Islamic Financial Services in Qatar

With notable consolidation in recent years, what is a realistic assessment of the current Qatari Islamic financial services ecosystem, including banking and Takaful, and what opportunities and challenges now present themselves for the sector? With Qatar emerging as a leading Islamic fintech centre, how significant is the work of the Qatar FinTech Hub’s acceleration and incubation programs, and what other important initiatives are now taking shape in the country? With Qatar also looking to bolster its status as a Sukuk issuance hub, what steps can the country take to make Sukuk a mainstream financing option for corporate and financial institutions? How are Shariah compliant funding options being employed for infrastructure and large-scale projects in Qatar, and what is the potential for private sector financing of Islamic sustainable infrastructure, energy and tourism projects?

Moderator:
Simon Chan, Counsel, K&L Gates LLP

Panelists:

Aymane doukali, Head of Islamic and Structured Finance, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC)
Husain Alkhaja, GCC Regional Director, DDCAP
Mourad Ali Mizouri, MENA region Senior Division Manager (Business Development), The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC)
Nitish Bhojnagarwala, Vice President – Senior Credit Officer, Financial Institutions Group, Moody’s Investors Service
Sabir Ahmed, Executive Director Islamic Origination, Standard Chartered Bank
Dr Vladimir Malenko, Islamic Finance Advisor, Bedford Row Capital