Is Islamic Finance Coming to Australia?

Reserve your Webinar seat here - NOW!

Over the last year there have been many encouraging signs from government and industry players that Islamic finance is set to become a real alternative for individuals and corporations wanting to use Islamic finance models in Australia.

This is being driven by growing demand for Islamic financial products among Australia’s 400,000 Muslims and the desire by the Australian government to capitalize on Australia’s safe haven financial reputation to attract foreign investment.

To help assess if the current rhetoric matches the ground reality and what the future really holds for Islamic Finance in Australia, MuslimVillage.com, Australia’s most popular Islamic portal, in collaboration with IslamicAdvisory.com is proud to bring you Australia’s first Islamic Finance Webinar on the topic "Is Islamic Finance Coming to Australia?"

Join Atif Khan, Managing Director of IslamicAdvisory.com, on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 to discuss and learn more.

We are excited to be 1 of 8 companies invited by Austrade, the Australian Government’s Trade Commission, as part of the UAE’s Islamic finance mission to Australia, organized by the Dubai Export Development Corporation.

 

Given growing demand for Islamic financial products among Australia’s 400,000 Muslims and many non-Muslims, it is our hope that we contribute in our own small way to promoting Islamic finance in Australia. We'll post about our Australian experience later...

“My friends want to join too”
“I’m travelling”
“It’s the end of the month and I need credit card balance”
“My internet connection is not working”

Call it popular demand, win-win thinking, or just plain friendliness. We’ve extended the only discount of the year to November 29, 2009 to accommodate the many requests we were receiving for an extension.

So that means 25% off any Associate or Premium Membership, and the CIFE^TM certificate, if you sign up before November 29, 2009. We won’t be offering another discount for a very long time, if at all, so hurry and sign up today. Click here to generate your discount code.

DUBAI, Oct 26 /PRNewswire/ -- IslamicAdvisory.com, the world's only Islamic finance training portal, launches the first accredited Islamic finance training certificate available 100% online, with exams starting this month for the CIFE^™, or Certified Islamic Finance Executive^™. Recently nominated "Best Islamic Finance Training Institution" by Islamic Business and Finance Awards, IslamicAdvisory.com rigorously tests and approves its training and certification with a team of leading scholars and bankers.

The CIFE^™'s launch is regarded as a landmark event by industry insiders. Afaq Khan, CEO at Standard Chartered's Saadiq, said, "This is a timely and much needed development in the industry. Qualified human capital is the most critical need for the industry to maintain its growth trajectory across geographies. Such solutions will go a long way in providing systematic tools for practitioners."

IslamicAdvisory's MD Atif Khan said, "We believe that IslamicAdvisory's CIFE^™ is a long overdue step in promoting Islamic finance excellence across the globe, not just in the major financial centres. For the first time ever, Islamic finance training is free of expensive, faraway conferences, CDs-by-mail, and outdated workbooks. We deliver standardized, streamable content 24 hours a day to any Internet connection in the world."

Membership at the site has been booming since the portal's launch. With over 5 new individuals signing up every single day for several months now, the banks are taking notice too. Several Islamic banks have already lined up for corporate licenses to certify their bankers and now academic institutions are looking to certify their students as well. Professor Hejazi at the University of Toronto's Rotman Business School discussed using IslamicAdvisory's training as part of a new set of courses: "I have reviewed these online sessions and I am very impressed with what I see. They provide a solid foundation that is fundamental to fully understanding Islamic finance."

For a limited time, IslamicAdvisory.com offers a 25% discount here.

Original press release can be found here

Harish Gupta, candidate for a Global MBA at the SP Jain Centre of Management, was our prize winner at a talk we recently gave about “The Difference Between Conventional and Islamic Finance.” As the winner, he was our lunch guest for an exclusive 1-on-1 with a leading Shariah Auditor. We were blessed to secure time with Shaykh Tariq Bujasaim Al-Falasi from Dubai Bank, a leading scholar who has been a key figure in the creation of the CIFE^TM.

Here is what Harish had to say:

Rendezvous with Shaykh Tariq Bujasaim Al Falasi, Senior Shariah Auditor - Dubai Bank and Mr Atif R. Khan, MD – IslamicAdvisory.com
 
After winning the contest organized by IslamicAdvisory.com, I received an opportunity to meet Shaykh Tariq Bujasaim Al Falasi the Senior Shariah Auditor from Dubai Bank and Atif Khan the MD of IslamicAdvisory.com on a lunch.

After a warm welcome we started off with a brief discussion about Islamic finance in the SME arena in the UAE where Mr Tariq pointed out how this market is not given the right amount of attention by conventional and Islamic bankers. He explained his role of Shariah auditor in an Islamic Bank, the Islamic finance products and relevance of Islamic finance is countries like India, Egypt and European nations. Mr Tariq and Mr Atif shared their views about the benefits of Islamic finance, the requirement of a robust regulatory regime and conducive policies for countries to adopt Islamic finance. Also, Mr Atif succinctly quipped that Islamic finance is called by some as ‘Capitalism without the after taste’. During the meeting Mr Tariq also clarified how a person like me with non Islamic background can see this space as a potential arena for building a career. He provided personal insights about how can I go further in this arena which was a great a take away from the meeting.

Inspite of my limited knowledge on the subject they ensured that I was at ease all the time. Their upbeat sense of humor and friendly outlook helped make the overall experience extremely positive. When Mr. Atif visited my college (S.P Jain Center of Management - Dubai Campus) as a guest lecturer, he mentioned how IslamicAdvisory.com looks forward to make a distinct a relationship with all its participants. Today’s lunch was a proof of the efforts taken by the IslamicAdvisory.com to make a distinct experience and long term relationship with its participants and users.

I thank IslamicAdvisory.com for this wonderful opportunity and wish to continue this relationship with the members of IslamicAdvisory.com and the subject ‘Islamic finance’.
 
Harish Gupta
GMBA Student - Banking Management Specialization
S P Jain Center of Management.

You have until October 31, 2009 to get 25% off an Associate or Premium Membership at IslamicAdvisory, recently nominated "Best Training Institution" by Islamic Business and Finance Awards.

What does membership get you?

The Certified Islamic Finance Executive^TM (CIFE^TM):
The only accredited Islamic finance certificate available 100% online. Click here to get started.

Access to more Islamic finance training than anyone in the market:
See full list here.

Entry into the CIFE^TM Recruiter's Database:
Once you become a CIFE^TM, you have the privilege of fast tracking your CV to hundreds of recruiters. With your permission, we personally recommend you to banks and recruiters across the world of Islamic finance.

Last week we increased our membership rates across the board. Faced with a sharp increase in demand we had a choice between leaving it to the machines and the FAQs for handling customer and technical support, or having real live human beings give you the service you’ve come to expect.

We chose humans.

So we ramped up our team with a new designer and more techies and we put measures in place that ensures future increases in customer demand don’t necessitate price rises for a long time. The price is still right when compared with others on the market.

So this is what we’re doing: until October 31st, we’re giving a 25% discount to anyone who becomes an Associate or Premium Member.

Islamic vs Conventional Banking: The Difference. Explained.

Date: Monday, 29th June 2009
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue: BUiD Auditorium, Block 17, Knowledge Village

Free Admission: Just email register@buid.ac.ae

Win A Prize: Register as a Free Member at www.IslamicAdvisory.com to be eligible to win a free 3-month Associate Membership. Learn how to win at the talk.

What makes Islamic finance different from conventional finance? And what makes it better? In collaboration with the British University in Dubai, we deliver a talk, show a video, and answer some of your questions about Islamic finance and the current global financial meltdown. Could an Islamic financial environment lead to such disastrous consequences? We close with an introduction to the 4 principles that guide Islamic finance transactions and follow this with an interactive Q&A session.

We conduct both face-to-face and online events. To request a speaking engagement at your organization please email events@islamicadvisory.com.

Joins us as we drive through Dubai asking your questions. We talk about Omar’s work with the Islamic Finance Council; how he compares Dubai with London as an Islamic finance centre; how to break into the Islamic finance sector; and what the future holds amid the global financial meltdown. Just some of the points of discussion we raise with one of the most accomplished Islamic finance consultants in the industry.

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