The 1st Sri Lanka Islamic Banking and Finance (SLIBF)Conference, due to be held on July 20 and 21 2009, will see the key stakeholders in the IBF industry convening at a single forum for the very first time.
Aptly titled "Entering a New Era", the Conference will explore the opportunities that this very dynamic and fast growing industry offers.
The end of a three decade old conflict in Sri Lanka is expected to offer incumbents as well those poised to enter the industry opportunities that would extend beyond the shores of Sri Lanka. India, which is only just beginning to open its doors to an industry that is expected to touch the USD 1 Trillion mark worldwide by the year 2010 and growing at a phenomenal pace of between 15-20%, would be of special interest to players that are seeking to leverage off the knowledge and experience that we have gained over the past decade or so. This is a special area of interest that would be dealt with intensively during the two-day event.
The Conference will also seek to discuss the challenges faced by the industry, including Regulatory constraints. Participants will be able to hear very eminent speakers and experts from the legal, auditing and regulatory field discussing this area at some length. The recent granting of a Provisional license for an Islamic bank is indicative of the proactive stance that the regulators have taken in dealing with this very exciting industry.
A panel of speakers that is expected to exceed 25 will not be limited to Sri Lanka either. Speakers from as far away as Mauritius, South Africa, the USA and the United Kingdom, just to name a few, will share their experiences of the growth of IBF in their respective countries. Developments in the Gulf region, which has largely been responsible for the interest shown by nations that straddle the globe, will also be discussed by experts from the region.
This will not be limited to particular sectors either with experts in Marketing, Consulting and Fund Management discussing their particular facets of IBF in great detail.
The programme is expected to demystify what many in the financial sector are still coming to terms with. An industry which does not discriminate on religion or race but still perceived by some as being the exclusive domain of "Muslims" will be dissected by the delegates in the fervent hope that such notions will not linger in the minds of the public at large. Islamic bankers will also be joined by their counterparts in conventional banking so as to ensure that the delegates are also given different perspectives of Islamic banking.
At the end of the event, the delegates should have a much greater understanding of the intricacies of an industry that still remains an enigma to some.
More details could be obtained from the conference organisers, UTO EduConsult Pvt. Ltd. on 0773 501246 or rozana@utoeduconsult.com. |
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