Professor at INCEIF University, Malaysia

Shaykh Datuk Prof. Dr. Mohamad Akram Laldin

Datuk Prof. Dr. Mohamad Akram is currently a Professor at INCEIF University, Malaysia. Prior to joining INCEIF, he served as an Assistant Professor at the Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Between 2002 and 2004, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. He also held the position of Executive Director at the International Shari’ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA), an institution established by Bank Negara Malaysia, until 2023.

Prof. Akram is an esteemed member of various Shari’ah advisory boards and councils. He is currently a Member of the Shari’ah Advisory Council at Bank Negara Malaysia, a Member of the MIFC Leadership Council, Chairman of the Shari’ah Board of the Employees Provident Fund Malaysia (EPF), and Chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Council of Labuan Financial Services Authority (FSA). He also serves as a Member of the Internal Shariah Supervisory Committee at Dubai Islamic Bank, a Member of the Shariah Advisory Council at the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) in Bahrain, and a Member of the AAOIFI Public Interest Monitoring Consultative Committee (PIMCC). Additionally, he holds positions as a Member of the Internal Shariah Supervision Committee at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), a Member of the Financial Regulation Advisory Council of Experts (FRACE) at the Central Bank of Nigeria, a Member of the Shariah Supervisory Board at Bank Musqat Meethaq Islamic Bank, and Chairman of the Shariah Advisory Committee of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) Malaysia. Prof. Akram is also a Member of the Shariah Advisory Committee of Lembaga Tabung Haji Malaysia, Chairman of the Board of Directors at ASNB Wakalah Sdn Bhd Malaysia, and a Member of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM).

He holds a B.A. Honours degree in Islamic Jurisprudence and Legislation from the University of Jordan in Amman and a Ph.D. in Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Prof. Akram has presented numerous papers on Islamic Banking, Finance, and Fiqh topics at both national and international forums and has been conducting training sessions on Islamic Banking and Finance for various sectors since 1999. He is a registered Shariah Advisor for Islamic Securities with the Securities Commission of Malaysia and has advised on the issuance of many sukuks. Moreover, he is a prolific author in the field of Islamic Banking and Finance.

Prof. Akram’s contributions to the field have earned him several prestigious awards, including the Zaki Badawi Award for Excellence in Shariah Advisory and Research, the Most Outstanding Individual Contribution to Islamic Finance during KLIFF 2016 organized by CERT, and the 2017/1439H Malaysian Islamic Personality Award, conferred by the Government of Malaysia. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service, which carries the title “Datuk,” on June 6, 2022, by the King of Malaysia.

Islamic Finance Advisor

Dr Sajid Umar

Dr. Sajid Umar, Chair, Panel of Scholars, Islamic Finance Advisory – Scholar in Comparative Islamic Law, and Islamic Finance.

Dr. Sajid Umar is a specialist in comparative Islamic Jurisprudence and qualified judge.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sharī’ah with First Class Honours from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. He later completed a Master’s degree in Comparative Jurisprudence and Judiciary, with a thesis focused on Liquidity Management using Repurchase Agreements (REPO) and their Shariah-compliant alternatives. He went on to complete a PhD in Financial Risk Management within the Higher Institute of Judiciary, with a research focus on Standardised Hedging Contracts between Islamic Financial Institutions, particularly in the context of treasury operations.

Dr. Sajid has advised on Islamic finance structures for financial institutions across the Middle East and Western jurisdictions, contributing to the development of Shariah-compliant products.

He has delivered seminars and training programmes internationally on a range of financial and legal topics including Islamic finance, zakah, inheritance, family finance, and student finance.

His presentations on ‘The problems with Riba’ and scholarly article on the topic of Forex trading in Islam has received wide recognition and engagement from audiences in both Eastern and Western academic and professional circles.

Executive Director and Head of Sharia Advisory, Amanah Advisors

Mufti Faraz Adam

Mufti Faraz Adam is a well known UK-based Islamic Finance & Fintech consultant and heads the global Shariah advisory firm Amanah Advisors. He is advising several global Islamic financial institutions spread across the UK, US, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and other countries. He is passionate about the development of the Islamic economy and serves across its various sectors such as Islamic banking, Islamic capital markets, Takaful, SME financing and Islamic social finance.

Mufti Faraz completed a six-year Alimiyyah program (Islamic Studies) in the UK after which he went on to specialise in Islamic law and finished a Mufti course in Durban, South Africa. He holds a Master’s Degree in Islamic Finance, Banking and Management from Newman University, UK. He qualified with an MBA Diploma from the International Business Management Institute and successfully accomplished a Fintech Specialisation course from the University of Michigan. He recently achieved the ACCA Level 4 Qualification in Accounting and Business.

In addition to the above, he has attained various Islamic Finance-industry qualifications such as the IFQ, CIFE and is a Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (CSAA).

He has an interest in writing, researching and reading. He recently authored a book on Islamic Fintech called ‘Introduction to Islamic Fintech’, and has written several research papers on Islamic Finance and complexed products.