KLIFF 2009 received 1,000 participants

The Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum (KLIFF) 2009 has been successfully held on 2-6 November 2009 in Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Organised by the Centre for Research and Training (CERT) in collaboration with the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA), Messrs Hisham, Sobri & Kadir (HSK), and the International Institute of Islamic Finance (IIIF), the forum was attended by more than 1,000 participants which include professionals from the Islamic finance industry such as regulatory authorities, Shariah scholars, bankers, legal practitioners, Takaful operators, consultants, and academicians.

The first day started with the KLIFF Shariah Forum. The keynote speech for the opening ceremony was delivered by YB Dato' Seri Hj Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Minister of Finance II, Ministry of Finance Malaysia, which attracted a crowd of 300 people. The one-day conference’s primary focus was on Shariah issues of Islamic banking and finance by renowned Shariah scholars. The participants consist of local, regional as well as international speakers and delegates who have special interest in Islamic banking and finance. Among them are Sheikh Nizam Yaquby (Shariah Scholar, Bahrain), Sheikh Abd Sattar Abu Ghuddah (Kuwait), Dato’ Mokhtar Syafii (Shariah Advisor, Takaful Ikhlas), Dr. Mohd Daud Bakar (CEO of International Institute of Islamic Finance), Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad (Former Chief Justice of Malaysia), and Tan Sri Sheikh Ghazali Hj Abdul Rahman.

On the second day, the Prime Minister (PM) of Malaysia, YAB Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak officiated the KLIFF Main Forum. This is the third time the PM (previously as Deputy Prime Minister) officiated the conference for the Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum which was attended by almost 500 guests and participants. The Malaysian Prime Minister was accompanied by Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, CEO of Maybank Berhad, and Encik Abdul Aziz Abdul Jalal, CEO of CERT, to deliver the keynote address in this event.

The KLIFF Islamic Finance Awards Dinner was held on 3 November 2009. It was officiated by YB Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Three award categories have been established; the objectives were to recognise, reward and encourage activities that lead to the promotion of outstanding work and performance in the fields of Islamic banking and finance by key players in this industry. Among the recipients are MAA Takaful, Maybank Islamic Berhad, Public Mutual Berhad, and Bursa Malaysia.

Meanwhile, The Takaful Rendezvous 2009 was held on the 5th and 6th of November 2009 in conjunction with KLIFF 2009.  The two-day programme started with a one-day conference at Hotel Nikko.  The conference commenced with the Opening Ceremony by YB Dato’ Dr. Awang Adek Husin, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Ministry of Finance Malaysia. More than 250 participants took part in the conference, which includes professionals from the industry, lawyers, academicians and the public. Among the speakers at the conference were, Mr. Dawood Taylor of Prudential, Saudi Arabia, Mr. A. Rushdi Siddiqui of Thomson Reuters USA, and Dr. Engku Rabiah Adawiah of Shariah Advisory Council, Bank Negara Malaysia, Dr. John Lee of KPMG Business Advisory, and many others.