• Evolution of sukuk: understanding of the product within the framework of the Islamic law (Shariah)
• Comparisons and contrasts of sukuk with other conventional capital market products
• The process of structuring a Shariah compliant product
• What is permitted and prohibited under Islamic law?  

• Current market overview and trends
• Possibility of structuring sukuk under different Shariah contracts – e.g. fixed coupon sukuk, variable coupon sukuk
• Understanding of Shariah contracts as a basis for sukuk tradability

• Secondary sukuk market divining factors
• Evolution of ratings-based pricing on sukuk
• Who are the players in secondary sukuk market?
• Identifying the challenges facing secondary sukuk market

• Malaysian experience in secondary sukuk market
• Islamic capital market performance and the adoption of secondary sukuk market
• Role of a credit rating agency in liquid secondary sukuk market
• Deployment of Shariah compliant derivatives to hedge the risk of fluctuations in the secondary sukuk market

• Competitive advantages to setting up an Islamic retail bank in a western country
• The current market place for Islamic retail products
• Appealing to the Muslim & non-Muslim community

• Innovative product development and innovation
• Successful Shariah compliant instruments 

• What are the constraints and concerns faced by Islamic retail product providers?
• Legal & taxation issues

• Comparing opportunities in US for Muslim and non-Muslim investors
• Muslim investors want the same choice of equity styles available to non-Muslim investors
• Giving Muslim investors strategies diversified across equity styles
• Comparing the performance of Shariah - compliant investments against conventional indexes
• Clarity and integrity of selection process

• Cooperation between conventional and Islamic institutions: working together for common opportunities
• Approaches to including Islamic financial products in a conventional institutional vehicle
• Outlook for the growth of global Shariah compliant market

• What are the market drivers?
• Competitive advantage across regions (Malaysia, UK, ME, US)
• Ways in which we can remain true to the Islamic principles outside of an Islamic environment.
• What challenges does the diversity of tax and regulatory systems between states pose to growth potential?
• How do leading banks define “Islamic Finance” and what drives their investment activity?
• How US investment banks can profit from the growth of Islamic financing options
• How can Shariah compliant products in the North American market be further developed?
• Is North America the next “hot spot”?

• Identifying gaps in information
• Looking at Islamic finance from a global perspective
• Challenging views post 9/11
• Moving forward: looking ahead

• The role of Shariah approval in shaping Shariah compliant products
• Impact of Shariah laws across various regions
• Steps required in setting up a Shariah board
• Dealing with supply and demand of Shariah scholars
• What is the nature of the ongoing relationship with a Shariah board

• Institutional Muslim investors are very familiar with performance of conventional indexes
• Institutional investors want Shariah compliant strategies that are expected to outperform these benchmarks and that are also faithful to these benchmarks, without style drift
• Quantitative methods of stock selection allow an understanding of the risk profile of a strategy
• Availability of  Shariah compliant strategies in well defined equity styles allows asset allocation
• Managing risk by diversifying across equity styles
• Broadening the concept of ethical investing and convergence of Islamic and conventional investing

• How can US regulation further facilitate banks offering Shariah compliant products?
• Developing acceptable and dynamic regulations for Shariah compliant products
• North American regulation, how to better accommodate Islamic finance?
• What can North America learn from other regions?

• Have Islamic financial institutions been limiting themselves?
• Bridging SRI and Islamic finance
• Responsibility of Shariah scholars
• New ideology and way of thinking: improving Islamic finance and making an impact on all markets

• Bridging the gaps/misconceptions of Islamic finance products in a conventional market
• Global trends towards ethical investing and environmental protection
• Investment performance, pros, cons, and opportunity costs
• The commonality between screening processes

• Diversification: How sukuk investors weathered the sub-prime credit crisis
• The need for a secondary market
• Difference between sukuk and a US conventional bond
• What’s the true growth potential?

• An overview of the first sukuk issued in the United States
• Moving forward: what have we learned from this deal?
• Why the move towards non-Islamic entities?

• Opportunities in the real estate sector and related investments
• Conventional vs. Shariah compliant REITS – what are the differences?
• Case studies of Islamic fund products in the North American market

• What is Shariah compliant Real Estate and how does it differ from conventional?
• What products/opportunities are available?
• Risks and Returns: Compliant versus Conventional 

Interactive roundtable discussions allow delegates to meet and discuss issues relevant to their job functions.

• Roundtable 1: role of scholars, investors, and market participants in ethical Islamic finance
• Roundtable 2: connecting MENA capital with North American opportunities
• Roundtable 3: Sukuk
• Roundtable 4: real estate
• Roundtable 5: regulation

• Evaluating the performance of an Islamic fund in relation to a conventional fund
• Capitalizing on the increasing interest towards the Islamic funds industry
• Practical dimensions to setting up Shariah compliant funds
  o Islamic hedge funds
  o Global equity funds
  o Shariah compliant pension plans
• Shariah compliant ETFs

• Meeting legal and regulatory requirements
• Why private equity is suitable for Shariah complaint investors
• Agreeing with your Shariah board: how far must you go?
• A closer look at supply and demand