EPICENTRE - The Sustainable Financial System: An Evolutionary Journey

April 2015 /  Rejab 1436H Having begun as a nascent sector in the 1970s that predominantly focused on Shariah-compliant banking, today Islamic finance is a complete financial system of its own, having evolved into a more cohesive and competitive global option, with a widening investor and issuer base, improving industry infrastructure and more cross-border activity. Today Islamic finance has some form of presence in 70 countries, through 600 financial institutions, and advanced economies such as the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Germany have seen increased activity. Having recorded double-digit growth rates in all four segments, the industry is expected to expand beyond the USD3tln mark by 2018 and continue to evolve as an increasingly significant part of the global financial system. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS: Alternative Finance and the Global Economy On the sideline of the 2015 IMF/World Bank Spring Meeting, BNM organised an Executive Business Forum in collaboration with a renowned global media group, the Economist. The event was held on Thursday, April 16, 2015 at Newseum, Washington DC. Themed "Alternative Finance and the Global Economy", the event attracted over 50 senior business leaders in various fields ranging from finance to policy-makers. The discussion was chaired by The Economist Globalisation Editor, Mr. Matthew Bishop. The executive business forum witnessed dynamic discussions on the global economic outlook and the role of non-traditional alternative funding to finance the real economy. “The Global Economic Outlook” - WATCH THE VIDEO HERE “The Outlook For Alternative Finance” - WATCH THE VIDEO HERE RAM Ratings: Global Sukuk Outlook 2015 RAM Ratings anticipates new global sukuk issuance to remain fairly resilient in 2015, at around USD100 billion–USD120 billion, despite the challenging environment for Malaysia and the GCC amid the steep fall in global oil prices since last year. READ MORE HERE Please log on to www.mifc.com or call +603 26923481 for more information. Copyright © 2015 Bank Negara Malaysia. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER :The copyright and any other rights in the selection, coordination, arrangement and enhancement of the information in this electronic newsletter are owned by Bank Negara Malaysia. No part of this electronic newsletter may be modified, reproduced or published without prior permission in writing from Bank Negara Malaysia and the relevant copyright owner. Although every effort has been made to ensure the timeliness, accuracy, adequacy and completeness of this electronic newsletter, Bank Negara Malaysia accepts no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions, if any. The information contained in this electronic newsletter is only up-to-date at the time of transmission, and is not exhaustive and may be updated from time to time on the website: www.mifc.com. Bank Negara Malaysia shall not be liable for loss or damage caused by viruses transmitted by this electronic newsletter. Bank Negara Malaysia is not responsible for any unauthorised changes made to the information in this electronic newsletter or for the effect of such changes. Bank Negara Malaysia appreciates any feedback or suggestions for improvement.