The upcoming Responsible Finance Summit in March is excited to announce the support of SEDCO Capital, the renowned Saudi asset management firm.  The Summit will host a discussion between leaders in the Islamic finance and responsible investment to identify how to fully realise the emerging market responsible finance opportunity.

The global responsible investment industry represents almost a third of all managed assets globally, however, it is dominated by institutions and assets invested within developed markets with only limited connections to the rapidly growing Islamic finance industry. Shifts are beginning to occur whereby responsible investment firms looking towards emerging markets to find long-term economic growth potential that developed markets can no longer offer. 

As these investors expand beyond their presence in developed markets, they need to make a concerted effort to build bridges between responsible investment and Islamic finance. Greater cooperation will help enable responsible finance to widen its geographical footprint and, in particular, help to support sustainable, equitable and inclusive economic growth, especially across emerging markets with Muslim majority populations.

Speaking ahead of the Summit, Hasan Al-Jabri, CEO of SEDCO Capital said: “We are delighted to participate in the Responsible Finance Summit and are very happy to see the world starting to embrace our Prudent Ethical Investment approach among a truly groundbreaking gathering of key stakeholders from the traditional responsible finance and Islamic finance sectors.  We are excited to support efforts to build alliances and increase the measurable impact of the responsible finance industry in line with the Islamic prudent principles that complement the ESG direction of building sustainable economic development. The critical discussions about a comprehensive approach that is very much aligned with our firm’s values.”"

Established in 1976, SEDCO Capital was the first Shari’ah-compliant signatory of the PRI, considered a definitive benchmark for the burgeoning global appetite among asset managers and asset owners for responsible investing. SEDCO Capital manages assets across a diversified spectrum of investments in real estate, equities and other businesses with a total AUM of $3.9 billion.  

Hosted by Bank Negara Malaysia, organised by the RFI Foundation and co-organised by Middle East Global Advisors, the Responsible Finance Summit will take place on 30-31 March at Sasana Kijang, a renowned center for knowledge and learning excellence established by Bank Negara Malaysia.

For more information on the Summit, please visit www.rf-summit.com. Join the conversation on responsible finance at #RFS2016 @RFIFoundation.