Financial crisis, on a global scale, holds no prisoners. Financial markets across the world are still recovering from this 2008 contagion and are adapting their systems, processes and institutions to better insulate them against future challenges. The Islamic capital market has yet again demonstrated resilience amidst unflagging interest from the global players and regulators alike. Several Islamic instruments have taken a hit and the industry is discovering which are those that are resilient and those that need to be shelved. The industry is looking for the appropriate set of instruments that can withstand the test of time and can co-exist and compete with the conventional alternatives.  To date, all strong interest in Islamic investments and Sukuk products has been maintained, which are often subscribed by investors beyond the Muslim world. Perhaps the conservative application of debt contracts as well as the proliferation of other financing relationships have contributed to this; not to mention the strict aversion to speculative as well as gambling activities. The focus now is to enhance such Shariah compliant instruments so that they  become more reliable and resilient in the future.

Islamic capital market instruments are now playing a significant role in the global economy and are beginning to influence traditional and conventional financial systems. More and more non-Muslim countries are committed to adapt their governing regulatory frameworks to be flexible enough to accommodate Islamic finance products and services. This phenomena bodes well for our industry and may be a major  catalyst in the future development of the industry provided that the appropriate set of instruments are  pushed through. The recent call by Islamic finance experts and scholars alike in favour for more equity and equity-based structures pave the way forward in convincing market players to avoid over-reliance on debt-based funding.

This  INTERNATIONAL SHARIAH INVESTMENT CONVENTION focuses on finding the right path to help the Islamic finance industry, particularly Islamic funds and Sukuk, to regain the momentum they have previously built prior to the crisis.  This 2-day high-profile event to be held on the 30th November 2010 & 1st December 2010 aims to address the uncertainties in the industry by providing a platform for all local and international stakeholders to debate and share perspectives on how to bring this Shariah investment industry forward .  The organisers will host representatives from various regulatory bodies, investors, fund management houses and media to participate and interact during this event. In short, this event seeks to demystify the current issues confronting Islamic investments in a novel perspective and this shall be presented in a practical manner by the practitioners themselves. The key objectives are to discover the path to recovery, and to initiate innovative products and structures in the journey to unlock the potentials of Islamic investments and Sukuk.