First Islamic Retail Banking Conference Draws Attention of Bankers around the World

the First Islamic Retail Banking and Finance Conference 3rd -4th of March at the GRand Hyatt Dubai

London UK (PRWEB) January 27, 2004 -- Organizers of the First Islamic Retail Banking Conference (FIRBC), Islamic Conferences Group and Failaka International, announced today that interest in the event is exceeding their expectations. The conference, which is the first such event dedicated to Islamic retail finance, aims to bring together institutions active in this sector to discuss the latest developments and challenges facing the market.

Reza Adil , Conference Director, said, while this event was targeted towards retail institutions, we were surprised to see a lot of interest from investment banks, asset management firms and conventional banks." He went on to add that, Two of our largest sponsors, ABC Islamic Asset Management and Unicorn Investment Bank, are not currently involved in the retail sector. But dont be supervised if you hear some major announcements at this conference "

It is believed that with all the Islamic finance conferences being held around the world, the Islamic retail sector has long been neglected. As such, there has recently been a refocusing on this sector as it is the backbone of Islamic banking. Investment banks and fund managers looking to work closer with retail banks as a way of expanding their distribution channels," said Ghazanfar Naqvi, an Islamic banker at Standard Chartered in Dubai.

There has also been a lot going on in Islamic banking recently. The UK is ready to license its first Islamic bank, Kuwaits parliament approved legislation allowing two new Islamic banks to be licensed, and Bahrain continues to launch new Islamic financial institutions. Khaled Al-Ghais, a Kuwaiti banker at Dresdner Kleinwort Wassertein in Germany, said, there is a lot of interest in this conference, especially from investment banks and western financial institutions, because they see what is going on in the market and dont want to be left out."

The event is being held at the Grand Hyatt Dubai from 3-4 March 2004 and is expected to draw 250-300 delegates from around the world. The conference has a dedicated website for anyone interest in more information: www.islamicretailbanking.com.
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