World Islamic Banking Conference To Be held In London

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

22 February 2008

The 1st Annual World Islamic Banking Conference: European Summit (Euro WIBC) will be launched in London on 8th July 2008, it has been announced.

Over the past 15 years the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) has firmly established itself as the largest gathering of its kind in the world, with more than 1,000 industry leaders from over 35 countries attending the conference each December in Bahrain.

With the Islamic finance industry continuing to experience extraordinary growth, especially in new international markets, it was a logical move to host a European focused event, according to organisers.

David McLean, the Managing Director of MEGA, the owners of the WIBC brand, commented that:

“The London conference will complement the objectives of the world event held annually in Bahrain, and will provide a powerful platform for industry leaders seeking to leverage their presence in the dynamically evolving European markets for Islamic finance."

"Building on WIBC’s decade and a half of tracking the developments and shaping the trends in the global Islamic banking and finance industry, Euro WIBC 2008 will feature insightful debates on the substantial issues facing the industry.”

Bahrain Financial Services Development (BFSD) has announced its strategic partnership with Euro WIBC. BFSD provides a single point of contact for international financial institutions looking to build their base in the region.

Jane Dellar, the Managing Director of BFSD, noted that:

“Bahrain has established a strong leadership position as a global hub for international Islamic financial institutions and there is much that can be learned from Bahrain’s world-class regulatory environment in terms of further advancing the international development of the industry. It is in this spirit that BFSD is delighted to be the Jurisdiction Partner of the 1st Annual Euro WIBC in London.”

Some of the key topics to be addressed at the conference will include critical issues facing the European Islamic financial markets, assessing the dynamically developing regulatory environments, establishing opportunities for the major international players from the Middle East and Asia who are now focusing on rapidly emerging growth prospects for Islamic finance in Europe, and identifying the outlook for new institutions based in the UK and Europe.

More than 400 international delegates are expected to attend the inaugural Euro WIBC.

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