BELGIUM - Adefi : Conference April 23, 2012 (Brussels - Belgium)

Conférence le 23 avril 2012 à 18h30 sur le thème : "Finance islamique : une alternative éthique pour une relance économique?" Plus d'infos sur www.adefi.be

Intervenants/ Speakers

Eric De Keuleneer : Professeur à la Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management
Inès Wouters : Avocat associé - Association Afschrift - Chargée de cours au Mastère spécial en gestion fiscale à l'ULB
Ibrahim Zeyyad Cekici : Enseignant - Chercheur à l'Université de Strasbourg - Droit et finance islamique

ULB Campus du Solbosh Batiment K
Av. Franklin D. Roosevelt n°50
B-1050 Bruxelles

BELGIUM - New Association : ADEFI Association pour le Development de la Finance Islamique

The Association for the development of the Islamic finance (ADEFI) dedicates itself to the promotion and to the development of the ethical and solidarity finance in Belgium. Non-profit voluntary association, ADEFI depends on donations of his members to support efforts of raising awareness, training and research in the field of the alternative finance.

The movement of the Association was born to contribute to the emergence of this finance in the economic landscape of our country. Through our actions we hope to be major actors of the development of solidarity finance.

Our association consists of academics of various horizons (economy, finance, law, computing) fascinated by the economic and financial questions and convinced of the foundations of the Islamic finance for more ethics in the financial world.

The group consists of professionals who exercise their occupations in the banking domain but also in the financial and legal advice. So the majority of our members are certified in Islamic Finance (IFQ).

Visit us : www.adefi.be

Best Regards

Fouad Tahere

f.tahere@adefi.be

BELGIUM - Islamic banking arrives in Belgium

http://www.7sur7.be/ - Moroccan Chaabi bank is preparing to launch a current account "Sharia compliant" from June 2012 in Brussels, La Libre reported Friday.

"The project is under consideration. We will shortly consult the Authority on financial services and markets (FSMA) on the subject," confirmed Mr. Semlali, the Belgian branch of the bank Chaabi, present in Belgium since 1977.

"Islamic finance brings together hundreds of texts for interpretation of Islamic law in the current economic realities. There is nothing sacred in it, they are financial arrangements that are universal values​​," said Mohamed Boulif, consultant Islamic finance. (source)

GERMANY - KL’s edge in Islamic finance - Bundesbank send representatives to Malaysia's Securities Commission for training on Islamic finance

thestaronline - German don: Malaysia’s comprehensive regulatory framework a competitive advantage

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's competitive advantage in Islamic finance is its comprehensive regulatory framework, according to a German economics professor. (source)

LUXEMBOURG - Luxembourg boosts its role as Islamic finance centre

gulf-times.com - Qatar made a splash in Luxembourg yesterday with deals to buy two banks in a sign of the State’s desire to make the Grand Duchy an Islamic financial centre in Europe.

Hours after the French and Belgian governments announced the break-up of the Dexia banking group, Luxembourg announced that Qatar had decided to buy the troubled lender’s unit in the country, Dexia BIL. 

Moments earlier, the Belgian bank KBC revealed that it was selling its Luxembourg unit, KBL, to the Qatari state investment fund Precision Capital for €1.05bn ($1.41bn).   (source)

BELGIUM - EVENTS - " Émergence de la Finance Islamique sur la scène internationale " (Oct 10, 2011 - Brussels)

CONFÉRENCE EXCEPTIONNELLE SUR LA FINANCE ISLAMIQUE A BRUXELLES

La Crise Financière a confirmé l’émergence croissante de la Finance Islamique sur la scène internationale, finance éthique, responsable et participative. Pour y faire écho dans notre pays, IMPACT COOREMANS*, a le plaisir de vous convier à une conférence exceptionnelle organisée en partenariat avec Al Maalya, Islamic Finance Consulting & Training*, sur le thème :

" Émergence de la Finance Islamique sur la scène internationale "

Peut-elle répondre aux exigences nouvelles de stabilité financière et d’éthique des affaires ? (more hereunder)

EUROPE - Growth of “Shariah-Compliant” banking in Europe

The European Union is emerging as a major centre of Islamic finance, based on Islamic Shariah law.

The spectacular growth prospects for the Islamic financial services industry in many European countries is being fuelled by Muslim mass immigration; despite a difficult economic climate on the continent, Islamic banking is growing faster in Britain, France and Germany than it is in many Islamic countries in the Middle East and Asia.

The key role that Europe is playing in establishing Islamic finance in the West was the central theme of the 8th Islamic Financial Services Board Summit, an annual conference that promotes Islamic banking around the world. Hosted by the Central Bank of Luxembourg from May 10-13, 2011, it was the first time the event was held in a European country. (source)

OPINION - EUROPE - Islamic "Shariah-Compliant" Banking Takes Root in Europe

The European Union is emerging as a major center of Islamic finance, based on Islamic Shariah law, and which critics say amounts to "financial Jihad" by Islamists intent on Islamifying the West.

The spectacular growth prospects for the Islamic financial services industry in many European countries is being fuelled by Muslim mass immigration; despite a difficult economic climate on the continent, Islamic banking is growing faster in Britain, France and Germany than it is in many Islamic countries in the Middle East and Asia.(full story)

BELGIUM - SWIFT Sharia compliant for murabaha

SWIFT has announced that ISO 15022 message standards for the processing of treasury murabaha transactions have been certified compliant with the international Islamic finance standards issued by AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions). This certification paves the way towards the automated processing of murabaha treasury transactions, said to represent 60 percent of all Islamic financing.

FRANCE - Finding a Home for Islamic Finance in France

In February 2008, when France's economy minister, Christine Lagarde, announced that making her country more open to Islamic finance was to become a top priority, she threw down the gauntlet to her neighbors across the English Channel -- the United Kingdom is the largest Islamic finance market in Europe, holding roughly US$19 billion in Islamic financial assets, according to Bloomberg. Since Lagarde's declaration, economic policy has been changing in France to help Islamic finance find a foothold in the country. The Ministry of the Economy appointed an Islamic finance specialist, Thierry Dissaux, last year to create a legal route allowing financial instruments based on Islamic law, known as shariah.