UKIFC to host Global Islamic Finance and the SDGs Series 2022

Global Islamic Finance and the SDGs Series (19, 20, 21 September)

UKIFC in partnership with United Nations, GEFI, Refinitiv and IsDB is organising a virtual global summit on Islamic finance and the SDGs, to coincide with the UN General Assembly 2022 and taking place on 19, 20 and 21 September. Click here to sign up now, or click here to find out more.


Global Islamic Finance and SDGs Summit Launched

The UKIFC in partnership with UN and Islamic Development Bank is organising a virtual global summit on Islamic finance and the SDGs, to coincide with the UN General Assembly.

The summit will: 

  • Highlight the natural alignment between Islamic finance and the SDGs, based on the Maqasid Al-Shariah (higher goals of Islam); 
  • Examine some of the challenges for Islamic finance and the SDGs; 
  • Showcase the practical progress made by Islamic financial institutions on the SDGs, including multilateral organisations, governments, and commercial banks and asset managers; and  
  • Showcase the role for Islamic social finance in achieving the SDGs. 

By focusing on the natural alignment between the Islamic faith and the SDGs, we will seek to drive engagement with and acceptance of the Goals among communities who might otherwise not engage with them. The summit will feature a mixture of high-level discussions about the global trends facing the Islamic finance industry, scholarly debate regarding the Goals, and practical showcases of SDGs in action in Islamic finance. 

The Global Islamic Finance and SDGs Taskforce, initiated by the UKIFC, was launched by the UK Government together with IsDB to promote awareness and adoption of the SDGs amongst commercial Islamic financial institutions. This summit is informed by, and builds on, the work of the Taskforce and the UKIFC’s broader activities in promoting the SDGs and its work with GEFI as part of the Faith in Finance Path to COP workstream. 

Confirmed Speakers Include:

  • Dr Ahmed Al-Meraikhi, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General
  • Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Board Member, International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance
  • Raja Amir Shah Raja Azwa, CEO, HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad
  • Stella Cox CBE, Managing Director, DDCAP Group
  • Rafe Haneef, CEO - Group Transaction Banking & Group Chief Sustainability Officer, CIMB Group
  • Charles Haresnape, CEO, Gatehouse Bank
  • Farmida Bi CBE, EMEA Chair, Norton Rose Fulbright
  • Dr Akram Laldin, Executive Director, International Shariʽah Research Academy for Islamic Finance
  • Arshad Mohamed Ismail, CEO, Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad
  • Najmuddin Mohd Lutfi, CEO, BIMB Investment Management Berhad
  • Hajara Adeola, CEO, Lotus Capital Limited
  • Omar Shaikh, Managing Director, UKIFC

To register your interest for the summit, follow the link to our sign up page.


Ethical Finance 2019

Ethical Finance 2019 (EF2019) is organised by the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI) which oversees, organises and coordinates a series of activities to promote finance for positive change. GEFI annually hosts in Edinburgh the premier platform that convenes the world’s foremost business, political, civic and social leaders of society to network, share, co-develop and shape a fairer, more sustainable financial system.

With the Bank of England recognising climate change as a core financial risk, the proliferation of the UN SDGs and the ongoing dichotomy for asset managers wrestling with the social impact versus economic return conundrum; the financial system is undergoing material transformational challenge.

Together with UNDP and Scottish Government, Ethical Finance 2019 will convene over 400 leading finance practitioners from across the globe to help define and shape the transition to a sustainable financial system where finance delivers positive change.

Summary Agenda

Day 1 : Purpose, culture and sustainability

The first day of the conference will focus on embedding sustainability into the business models of financial institutions. It will look at how companies are responding to socioeconomic, environmental, technological and regulatory drivers to shape their internal culture, accelerate green / SDG finance and leverage fintech innovations.

Castle Reception: Scottish Government will host the conference reception in Edinburgh Castle at 1900 – 2030 on Tuesday 8th October 2019. Following the reception, held within the magnificent Great Hall, guests will be invited for a private viewing of the Honours of Scotland (Scottish Crown Jewels).

Day 2 : A New Investment Paradigm

The second day will explore the new ethical investment paradigm. It will consider the challenges around changing ESG data needs, asset owner appetite, innovative blended financial instruments and how asset managers are constructing new strategies to meet evolving demand.

Please CLICK HERE for further information.