·         Assessing the current political, economic and business climates in the Middle East, and globally – how will they impact (potential) investors in Islamic funds?

·         With the high oil revenues streaming into GCC economies – what are the impacts and how should this wealth be managed?

·         Has the region developed enough in the last 5 years that there is a disconnect between political issues and funds?

• Understanding the global investment climate amidst changingglobal economic conditions
• What if price per barrel goes back to the mean (US$20-30per barrel) – how will this impact Islamic funds?
• What if GCC exchanges go back to their mean returns (unlikethe last 3-4 years) – how will this impact IPOs, trading volumeof compliant companies, and Islamic funds?
• How has the Middle East developed and is there a disconnectbetween political issues and funds management?
• Examining the beginnings of the GCC-S.E. Asia partnership– will this increase trade and investment between the regions?

·         Islamic funds are still mandate driven – will this change in the near future, where fund sponsors will manage in-house?  What type of funds can be managed easily in-house?

·         For most Islamic funds, the underlying companies are in OECD countries – what are the issues for companies listed on Muslim stock exchanges?

·         Identifying the major growth products for Islamic funds

·         Why have some Islamic funds failed to meet expectations, and hence closed down?  What are the lessons learned?

·         What needs to be done to accelerate or maintain the growth momentum?

·         Examining differences in Shari’ah compliance developments in the following areas:

-          Sukuk

-          Hedge funds

-          Real estate funds

-          Private equity funds

·         What can be done to expedite greater uniformity in Shari’ah approved transactions and investment products?

·         What are some of the issues for conversion of non-financial institutions?

·         What is the Islamic leverage in venture capitalism and buyouts?

·         Evolution and profile of Sukuk Structures

·         Recent developments in Sukuk industry

·         Most recent sukuk issues including geographical information

·         Managing the Financial Risks of Sukuk Structures

·         Adeem’s invention of Convertible Sukuk

·         Analysing the fast-growing and well-performing private equity market – what are the recent launches, who are the better performing players, and why?

·         Greater demands for more product innovation – does that mean popularity of private equity will decline, or will development and investments in different asset classes be independent of growth of the private equity market?

·         Examining different geographic targets for private equity and the various exit strategies

·         Examining the role that private equity plays in the investment portfolio of a Shari’ah compliant institutional investor and what lies ahead

·        REITS background & growth

·        Current status of REITS around the world

·        Islamic REITs Vs Conventional REITs

·        Malaysian model for Islamic REITs

·        Future trends and scope for Islamic REITs

·         An overview of key trends, recent developments, and real estate funds available to Islamic investors currently

·         What are the preferred real estate investments funds, in what areas, and why

·         Examining the real estate market in Dubai – bubble or sustainable?  Is the mismatch between supply and demand manageable?

·         Assessing the potential of real estate investments and what needs to be done to drive even greater growth

·         The role of sukuks in real estate projects – what’s the potential of the US$26 billion King Abdullah City?

·         Evolution of the product and recent Sukuk launches

·         Examining the lack of secondary markets – what are the obstacles, especially for sukuks?

·         Developing a secondary market – what are the challenges and what can be done

·         What can governments, associations, and banks do to encourage more secondary market activity and generate liquidity?

·         Making Sukuk issues a success in international capital markets

·         Is there a lack of fixed instruments for Islamic banks?

·         Importance of fixed instruments for balance sheet management

·         Development of BNP Islamic Commercial Note and its impact on Islamic Industry

• Shari’ah compliance as part of the portfolio management process – more than just compliance, but better returns as well?
• Increasing frequency in GCC equity and real estate funds launches – what does that mean to the hedge funds and fund of funds industry?  Are Islamic hedge funds possible only with GCC exposure?
• Distributing Shari’ah compliant hedge funds to the international investor community
• How to sell Hedge funds product in Europe.

·         Examining the corporate investment policy and key criteria for assessing investment options

·         Why are equity funds still the most popular for investments?  Considering other asset classes and innovative investment products

·         Considering future investment strategy direction, the need for diversification and risk management – what more is expected from Islamic funds?

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi
Minister of Economy , United Arab Emirates

·         Examining the drivers behind the demand for Islamic products

·         Assessing which products are leading the drive towards greater innovation and how are they achieving broader appeal in this increasingly competitive landscape.

·         Meeting the expectations of Muslim investors – does that automatically mean expectations of non-Muslim investors will be met too and if not, then what else needs to be done to broaden the appeal of Islamic products to traditional investors?

·         Examining which issues to consider when creating dedicated Muslim country Islamic funds?

·         As Islamic funds continue to perform is the expectation for them to continue outperforming their conventional counterparts realistic?

·         Technology innovations to holistically address the needs of Islamic Investment Banking (Solution Architecture and Functionality coverage for a Shari'ah compliant Investment Banking Solution)

• Review of current status of the Islamic fund market
• Latest developments in Fund Structures
• Analysis of Salam, Arbun and Mudaraba in Hedge Funds

·         Establishing a template for sukuk issues?

·         How will this affect savers, issuers, refinance conventional debt, etc.?

·         Can we expect to see a sovereign sukuk from South America or Eastern Europe, or corporate issue from the US or Europe, quasi sovereign from Asia Development Bank, World Bank, etc.?

·         The DJ Islamic Sustainability Index launched in Jan 2006 considers issues like corporate governance, environmental, social, etc. – what impact will this have on the Islamic Fund screening going forward?

·         Overview of the Islamic private banking space – increasing number of players targeting Muslim investors… is it time to target non-Muslim HNW individuals as well?

·         Examining the key ways to strategically differentiate yourself from your competitors in order to win new clients

·         Is Islamic wealth management about a new paradigm or removing the ‘haram’ elements from product structures to make them ‘halal’?

·         What can Islamic private banks do to better prepare themselves for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow?

·         What is the role of branding, and will it result in loyal customers?

• Fiduciary Duties of Asset Managers
• Pro-active Portfolio Monitoring
• Legal Opportunities to Recover Losses

·         Modern portfolio theory and its application to the asset allocation process

·         Incorporating alternative investment strategies within the asset allocation process

·         Selecting Sharia compliant best-in-class funds in different asset categories

·         A single unified framework for assessing manager and asset class risk with a portfolio

·         Appealing to a wider spectrum of potential investors (expatriate population) – a question of branding as well as available distribution channels

·         Exploring the potential for global expansion – is there enough awareness and education for demand?  Whose job is it to educate?

·         What more can be done to improve on distribution, and the challenges ahead

This is an exciting, quick and non-pressured way to meet all delegates and industry peers in one 30-min session.  These brief meetings are the starting point for conversation and networking throughout the conference.  This is where long-lasting business relationships begin.

·         Overview of regulatory initiatives and market developments in emerging markets

·         Are we seeing interest from emerging market fund managers based in the west?

·         Are the markets overvalued, need government intervention for soft landing, or the liquidity-led bubble about to burst?

·         Overcoming unique problems in each market – what progress can be expected in the next 2 years?  Examining opportunities and threats for the emerging markets

·         Will there be another financial hub to rival the UAE, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia?  When?

    Â·         Malaysia – leading the way or already a clear leader?  Examining further initiatives and developments that will cement its lead as the Islamic financial centre in the region

·         Indonesia – clearly the next major Islamic finance market but quite clearly not making marked progress… what lies ahead?

·         Pakistan – what are the recent regulatory initiatives that will aid the Islamic market expansion?