Ibdar to sponsor 24th World Islamic Banking Conference

Manama : Ibdar Bank (Ibdar), a wholesale Islamic investment bank based in Bahrain, yesterday announced its participation in the 24th annual ‘World Islamic Banking Conference’ (WIBC 2017) as a silver sponsor.  The conference will be held in Bahrain from 4-6 December 2017. 

Held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, and backed by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the three-day event, held under the theme ‘Drivers of Economic Growth & Risks Policymakers & Regulators’, expects the participation of more than 1,300 top experts from over 50 countries.

Ibdar will be represented at the conference by a senior management team including its Chief Executive Officer, Ayman Sejiny, who will be sharing insights in a session titled  ‘Sustainable, Equitable and Inclusive Growth – Enhancing financial inclusion through Islamic Finance’. 

“This year’s theme focuses on the important role regulators and policymakers play in driving growth,” said Sejiny. “Regulators are an extremely important part of the financial services eco-system as they facilitate industry innovation,” he said adding: “In Bahrain for example, the CBB is creating a FinTech supportive environment with the establishment of one of the first sandboxes in the region.”

This, Sejiny said, will allow the financial sector to test new tools and services, and with the CBB and the Economic Development Board’s (EDB) continued support “we can establish Bahrain at the centre of Islamic FinTech, and a reference point in the Islamic world.”

“We are pleased to sponsor the WIBC and the unique platform it provides for highlighting and addressing issues impacting the development of the global Islamic financial services industry,” he said. 

Ibdar Bank has gained extensive experience in aviation financing, asset management, real estate, and sukooks, and is expanding its reach with investments across the GCC, MENA, the UK and US. Currently, Ibdar has a strong pipeline of opportunities under evaluation in real estate and other areas that build on growth in consumer patterns across its markets of focus and in industries where its experience and knowledge support solid returns.