Leading players, industry thought leaders and key regulators in the international Islamic banking and finance industry will take part in the 20th Anniversary Special Edition of the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC 2013), which is set to commence on the 3 December 2013 at the Gulf Hotel in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Held under the theme “Industry Transformation to Improve Global Competitiveness in Islamic Finance”, the three day event is convened under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain.

WIBC 2013 will begin on the 3 December 2013 with a pre-conference seminar hosted by the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM). The pre-conference executive briefing session will place a range of complex themes in a practical framework, enabling a deeper understanding of the critical issues facing the Islamic finance industry.

The main WIBC 2013 conference, which begins on the following day, will be inaugurated by His Excellency Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain. The inaugural address will be immediately followed by a special keynote address by His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel, Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait.

WIBC 2013 will also feature a special guest address on the future of banking regulation and its implications for Islamic financial institutions by Sir Howard Davies, Former Chairman, Financial Services Authority; Former Deputy Governor, Bank of England and Professor, Sciences Po, Paris.

‘The World Comes to WIBC Initiative’ has also been further expanded this year and will feature official delegations representing jurisdictions for Islamic finance including Bahrain, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Canada and Azerbaijan. In addition to the UK Country Interface which will be inaugurated by Iain Lindsay OBE, British Ambassador to Bahrain; WIBC 2013 will also feature for the first time an exclusive Canada Country Interface which will be inaugurated by Thomas MacDonald, (non-resident) Ambassador of Canada to Bahrain, Embassy of Canada to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

SOURCE: