IFN Europe Forum returned to London for the first time in four years to a strong and supportive welcome from the industry which saw regulators and practitioners turn out in force to discuss the future of Islamic finance in Europe.
The event covered a range of detailed panel sessions covering the most relevant and pressing topics of the day: including a look at the potential impact of Brexit on Islamic finance activity in Europe, where Executive Director of DDCAP David Testa was a panellist; an expert panel debate on global real estate investment, an exploration of key financial markets in the Islamic funds and investment landscape, which was moderated by DDCAP’s Executive Director Lawrence Oliver; a review of corporate financing activity in Europe and a detailed debate on the future of responsible investing and green finance.
A Fintech Focus in the afternoon gathered together some of the cutting-edge pioneers of new financial solutions to discuss a range of issues, including how financial regulators can support innovation and how fintech is changing the face of Islamic capital-raising and investing.
The variety and depth of the day’s discussions highlighted the strong potential held by the European marketplace for Islamic finance and, in particular, the committed focus by the UK toward growing and supporting the sector across all asset classes. Fintech, real estate and corporate finance were key focus areas and while Brexit may pose many challenges for the region, the overall conclusion was that it could also create new and exciting opportunities for Islamic finance.
