IFN Oman Forum is set to return to Grand Millennium Muscat on the 12th March 2019 to welcome industry professionals.

Organized by REDmoney events, IFN Oman Forum will once again bring together a lineup of speakers comprising senior industry players, decision-makers and regulators to explore the exciting Shariah finance opportunities the country has to offer, discuss the biggest market trends and debate hard-hitting topics.

A keynote address will be delivered by HE Abdullah Salim Al-Salmi, the executive president of Oman’s Capital Market Authority, and HE Tahir Salim Al Amri, the executive president of the Central Bank of Oman, followed by a session on driving growth through Islamic banking, capital markets and Takaful in the Sultanate by panelists including Mohamed Said Al Abri, the vice president of the capital market sector at the Capital Market Authority and Saud Al Busaidi, the manager of the Islamic banking department at the Central Bank of Oman.

The next session will discuss the launch and development of the REIT market, as well as assess the role of regulation, asset quality and diversification in Oman. The panel will include Saifuddin Ahmed, the head of asset management at Almadina Investment; Abdul Samad Al Maskari, CEO of Thara Global Business; as well as Asad Qayyum, the senior associate of Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Co, among others.

The next session of the day will be on the rationales of issuers, corporates and sponsors in evaluating the offerings of Islamic capital markets and facilities, as well as the lessons learned from recent transactions in Oman.

This session will be moderated by Alex Roussos, a partner at Dentons, and will be participated by, among others, Mohammed Sajari, the head of Shariah structuring at Bank Nizwa and Mohsin Shaik, the head of investment banking and capital markets at Maisarah Islamic Banking Services. Suite 22-06, 22nd Floor, Menara Tan & Tan, 207, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTel: +603 2162 7800 www.REDmoneyevents.com Dubai Office: 3rd Floor, X2 Tower, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jumeirah Bay, PO Box 126732, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 427 3623 The last session of the day, after a presentation by Zaineb Sefiani, the founder of Carrera Learning, is on digital banking and fintech in Oman and the GCC region. Panellists for this session include Ahmet Salim Bilgin, the founder of FinBrain Technologies as well as Muhammad Kashif Zafar, the head of Islamic banking finance at Bank Sohar.

After the closing remarks, IFN Oman Forum will bring you three highly acclaimed events: Fintech Breakout, the Student Workshop and the Oman Dialogue.

The Student Workshop will focus on providing an understanding and overview of Islamic retail banking, capital market and regulatory issues in Oman’s Shariah banking and finance industry. The Oman Dialogue will set foot in the Sultanate, convening an elite group of Oman’s leading Islamic finance practitioners to discuss and analyze the benefits and concerns facing Oman’s Shariah-compliant financing and investment market. The dialogue, with a closed-door approach, will see active participation from local regulators and industry practitioners and key international players.