IFN Awards 2014 in Dubai gathers over 400 of Islamic finance’s leading lights

30 days to go Tuesday, 3rd March 2015 S&P 500 Shariah Dow Jones Islamic World MSCI World Islamic FTSE Shariah All World Russell - IdealRatings Islamic Global 1,870.17 2,990.54 1,193.92 2,101.27 1,927.98 ▲ 12.35 ( 0.66%) ▲ 10.31 ( 0.35%) ▲ ( -0.02%) ▼ 0.82 ( 0.04%) ▼ 2.90 ( 0.15%) HIGHLIGHTS: Tunisian leasing firm moves ahead with Islamic banking conversion plans – Khazanah Nasional’s insurance arm looking to develop Turkish Takaful market – The UAE and Luxembourg to explore Islamic banking framework This week's poll question: Following the issuance of Central Bank of Nigeria's guidelines on the establishment of an advisory body for Islamic banking in the country, will we see more Islamic finance activities in the country this year? IFN Awards 2014 in Dubai gathers over 400 of Islamic finance’s leading lights Daily Cover UAE: Recognized as one of the most coveted and prestigious distinctions in the Islamic finance industry, the IFN Awards has for 10 years honored the industry’s crème de la crème who excelled in their particular field with unusual finesse; and this year was no exception. Rewarding market-leading practitioners’ exceptional performance in 2014 as decided by the illustrious IFN Deals of the Year (DOTY) and IFN Best Banks, IFN Service Providers and IFN Law Awards series, the IFN Awards 2014 ceremony gathered over 400 industry movers and shakers at Ritz Carlton DIFC, Dubai on the 2nd March 2015 for an evening of global recognition and validation. A total of 56 awards were given out that night including the quadruple honors (IFN DOTY, Sovereign DOTY, UK DOTY and Sukuk DOTY) awarded to the UK for its groundbreaking sovereign Sukuk deal, which were received by Her Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai Edward Hobart on behalf of the UK government. Republic of Senegal’s minister of economy, finances and planning, Amadou Ba, also graced the event as he represented the Senegalese government to accept the Africa DOTY for its landmark Sukuk debut. The evening’s list of distinguished award recipients included: Khaled Al Aboodi, CEO of Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, also for Africa DOTY and Cross-Border DOTY; Mohamed Jamil Berro, CEO of Al Hilal Bank, for Commodity DOTY, Perpetual DOTY, Regulatory Capital DOTY and the UAE DOTY; Derya Gurerk, CEO of Turkiye Finans, for Turkey DOTY and Best Islamic Bank in Turkey; Mohammed Abdulla, CEO of Sharjah Islamic Bank, for Perpetual DOTY and Regulatory Capital DOTY; Ali Al Obaidli, group CEO of Ezdan Holding Group, for Qatar DOTY; Hani Baothman, CEO of Sidra Capital, and Nabil Marc Abdul-Massih, CEO of INOKS Capital, for Most Innovative DOTY, among other leading lights of the Islamic finance fraternity. Selected through a rigorous and robust process, which included either peer nomination and expert independent analysis or industry voting, the IFN DOTY, IFN Best Banks, IFN Service Providers and IFN Law Awards of 2014 respectively reached new milestones as the accolades gathered more votes/responses (IFN Best Banks and IFN Service Providers) and adopted even more stringent criteria and methodology (IFN DOTY and IFN Law Awards) to truly reflect the performance of market players, and highlight industry leaders. Today's IFN Alerts MALAYSIA: Puncak Niaga to make profit payment for its RM165 million (US$45.44 million) convertible Sukuk Ijarah GLOBAL: IDB's private sector arm strikes partnership with African Export-Import Bank to enhance private sector development in Africa and structure Sukuk INDONESIA: Bank Syariah Mandiri puts together aggressive growth plans to compensate poor 2014 performance GLOBAL: The UAE and Luxembourg to meet today to discuss Islamic banking memorandum of understanding GLOBAL: El Wifack on track to convert into fully-fledged Islamic bank; signs agreement with Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector UAE: Sharjah Islamic Bank approves distribution of cash dividend worth AED242.6 million (US$66.05 million) KUWAIT: Warba Bank launches Shariah compliant short-term investment product UAE: Dubai Islamic Bank distributes cash dividend UK: BLME Holdings caps off 2014 with another profitable run MALAYSIA: Avicennia keen to tap Turkey's Shariah compliant insurance market QATAR: Barwa Real Estate appoints former QNB Capital chief as group CEO MALAYSIA: Maybank Investment names Fad'l Mohamed as new deputy CEO TURKEY: Turkey's minister of finance and central bank deputy chief confirm their participation at the IFN Turkey Forum 2015 taking place on the 17th November 2015 GLOBAL: Mark Mobius to deliver keynote address at the IFN Investor Forum in Dubai on the 1st April 2015 GLOBAL: IFN and Jardine Human Capital connect Halal industry to talent pool with new unique Islamic Economy Career Portal GLOBAL: Bursa Malaysia signs up as strategic exchange partner for IFN Investor Forum and IFN US Investor Forum LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg's minister of finance to deliver keynote address at the IFN Europe Forum 2015 IFN Awards Dubai Ceremony 2nd March 2015 (Dubai) IFN Awards Kuala Lumpur Ceremony 9th March 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) IFN Investor Forum 2015 1st April 2015 (Dubai) IFN US Investor Forum 2015 2nd April 2015 (Dubai) IFN Indonesia Forum 2015 22nd April 2015 (Jakarta) IFN Qatar Forum 2015 3rd May 2015 (Doha) IFN Asia Forum 2015 25th-26th May 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) IFN Europe Forum 2015 10th June 2015 (Luxembourg) IFN Issuers Forum 2015 13th September 2015 (Dubai) IFN Iran Forum 2015 13th September 2015 (Dubai) IFN Kuwait Forum 2015 5th October 2015 (Kuwait City) IFN Egypt Forum 2015 27th October 2015 (Cairo) IFN Turkey Forum 2015 17th November 2015 (Istanbul) IFN Saudi Arabia Forum 2015 30th November 2015 (Riyadh) Islamic Finance Qualification 9th - 11th March 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) Fixed Income Products & Bond Markets 9th - 10th March 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) Understanding & Applying Structured Products 11th - 13th March 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) Islamic Treasury and Risk Management Products 17th - 19th March 2015 (Riyadh) Shariah Audit for Islamic Investment & Capital Market Instruments 19th - 20th March 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) Structuring Islamic Trade Finance Solutions 26th - 28th April 2015 (Riyadh) Structuring Sukuk & Islamic Capital Market Products 26th - 28th April 2015 (Muscat) Managing Counterparty Credit Risk, Basel III and Recent Regulatory Issues 7th - 8th May 2015 (Kuala Lumpur) Fixed Income Products & Bond Markets 11th - 12th June 2015 (Istanbul) Managing Counterparty Credit Risk, Basel III and Recent Regulatory Issues 9th - 10th July 2015 (Hong Kong) Islamic Finance Qualification 5th - 7th October 2015 (Kuala Lumpur)