Manama, May 9 (BNA): The General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI), the global umbrella for Islamic financial institutions, organized two webinars today in conjunction with its annual meetings and events.
Following the successful implementation of three consecutive joint seminars, CIBAFI and S&P Global Ratings have successfully brought together Islamic banks and financial institutions, regional regulators, and other international organizations, to discuss a timely industry topic on “Unleashing the Potential of Sukuk: Exploring Disruptors and Accelerators of Growth in Islamic financial markets.
The webinar opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Abdelilah Blatik, Secretary General of CIBAFI. Dr. Mohamed Damak, Senior Director and Global Head of Islamic Finance at S&P Global Ratings facilitated the presentation and discussion on the prospects for Islamic finance. The show provided insight into the latest trends and innovations in Islamic finance and sukuk issuances, as well as exploring strategies to leverage sustainability and digitization to drive growth and overcome current industry challenges.
The webinar featured an insightful panel discussion on Building a Sustainable Future: Convergence of Islamic Finance and Sustainable Investing, where S&P Global Ratings, along with other industry experts, engaged in a discussion on the challenges facing industry growth. These included regulatory and structural issues, as well as the impact of global economic conditions on the Islamic finance sector. The speakers also discussed sustainable financing opportunities for growth, both regionally and globally, and the motivations for investors and issuers to participate in sustainable and green markets. Panelists included: Mr. Ejlal Ahmed Alawi, Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM); Mr. Temusin Engin, Senior Director and Joint Practice Coordinator for the GCC Region, S&P Global Ratings and Ms. Rawan Oweidat, Associate Director of Corporate Ratings, S&P Global Ratings. The session was moderated by Dr. Mohamed Damak, Senior Director and Global Head of Islamic Finance at S&P Global Ratings.
Hosting an awareness-sharing platform, CIBAFI also witnessed the launch of CIBAFI’s 8th edition of its annual flagship publication – the Global Islamic Bankers Survey (GIBS) Report on “Talent Management Dynamics: Current Practices, Challenges and Prospects”. This year’s report covers the opinions of 103 heads of Islamic banks from 30 different jurisdictions.
The webinar opened with welcome remarks from Dr. Abdelilah Blatik, Secretary General of the International Council of Banks. It also included a keynote address by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Azmi Omar, President and CEO, INCEIF University, Malaysia.
Commenting on the launch of GIBS, Secretary General of CIBAFI, Dr. Abdelilah Blatik said: “The Global Islamic Bankers Survey (GIBS), in its eighth edition, has played a pivotal role in observing the views of Islamic banking executives towards the Islamic banking sector and the future of the industry over the years. The years This year’s GIBS edition underscores the vital role of talent management in the Islamic banking sector.The report provides an in-depth look at the practices and challenges of talent management in the Islamic banking industry to provide timely recommendations for Islamic banks to leverage talent for growth.We hope that the current report serves as a valuable reference for understanding the challenges facing the industry and the opportunities that Islamic banks can take advantage of to attract and retain the best talent.”
The webinar featured a presentation of the key findings of the GIBS 2023 Report by Ms. May Archie, Senior Research Analyst at CIBAFI. The GIBS results showed an optimistic overview of the potential skill and educational level of available talent, although there were recognized areas of deficiency that needed to be met. It also showed general recognition of the significant changes driven by industry trends in staffing and skill set needs in Islamic banks.
Among the experts who shared their thoughts during the webinar on talent management trends, current practices and challenges of Islamic banks in talent management are: Ms. Sana Haji, Assistant Human Resources Manager, Mumtalakat, Bahrain. Irum Saba, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan; and Mr. Hussain Al Khaja, Regional Director, GCC, DDCAP (DIFC) Limited, UAE. The session was moderated by Mr. Rashid Altaei, Business Development Manager, CIBAFI.
CIBAFI would like to express its appreciation to the supporting partners of the report, DDCAP GroupTM and Kuwait International Bank. The General Secretariat would also like to express its sincere thanks to all its members, respondents to the questionnaire, speakers, participants and media agencies from various sectors and countries for their active participation and contribution to the success of preparing and launching the report.
CIBAFI continues to support the Islamic financial services industry through various activities and initiatives. These initiatives include providing industry stakeholders with a platform to discuss emerging issues, representing the industry at major global financial events, and sharing knowledge through specialized publications and comprehensive training programmes.
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