IFN OnAir

Radhika Das, IFN Journalist, interviews Desislava Radeva, Executive Director, Structured Export Finance at Standard Chartered, on structuring Uzbekistan's first commodity Murabahah facility, the role of risk mitigation in frontier markets, collaboration between commercial banks and multilateral institutions, and the future of Islamic trade and structured finance.

In this episode, Aminah Farid speaks with Bashar Al Natoor, global head of Islamic finance at Fitch Ratings, on the geopolitical resilience of the Sukuk market, the significance of tokenization, genuine ESG impact versus greenwashing, the challenges of cross-border Shariah standardization and the markets best positioned to drive the next phase of global Islamic finance growth.

In this episode, IFN journalist Radhika Das speaks with John Gartchie Gatsi, adviser to the governor on non-interest banking at the Bank of Ghana, about the implementation of Ghana's non-interest banking guidelines, prospects for Sukuk and Takaful and the progress toward licensing the country's first Islamic banking institutions.

 Radhika Das, IFN Journalist, interviews Aymen Kasem, Division Manager of Trade Development at the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, on intra-OIC trade, SME participation, digitalization and trade development as a driver of regional integration 

Radhika Das, IFN Journalist, interviews Ahmed Jan, General Manager of Treasury at the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, on trade finance priorities, resource mobilization, strategic partnerships and advancing regional integration across OIC markets 

A concise assessment of the Shariah-compliant investment and wealth management solutions available to North American investors: ETFs, mutual funds, REITs, SMAs and model portfolios. The panel will evaluate where products meet investor needs on performance, diversification and cost, and where under-served areas remain, including income, alternatives and thematic exposures. Discussion will highlight the evolving role of wealth managers and advisers, alongside growing demand for broader financial solutions, including savings and home financing.

Moderator:

Tariq Al Rifai, Advisor, Economic Policy

Panelists:

Ahmad Quqa, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Private Wealth
Aijaz Hussain, Executive Vice President of Sales & Director, UIF Corporation
Elias Scheker Da Silva, Portfolio Manager – Global Fixed Income, Wafra
Dr Mohamad Sawwaf, Founder and CEO, Manzil
Saad Malik, CEO & Co-founder, Zoya Finance

We examine how fintech, digital RIAs, and wealth-tech apps are reshaping access to Shariah-compliant investments in North America. Panellists will address the practical state of tokenisation in real estate, private credit, and fund structures, as well as the evolving role of P2P and crowdfunding platforms. The conversation will address investor-protection and Shariah-governance considerations, and outline regulatory developments that could support responsible, scalable digital Islamic investing across the US and Canada.

Moderator:

Ishmam Ahmed, Managing Director, Hoya Advisory

Panelists:

Fahad Siddiqui, Founder & CEO, Mabrook
Lawrence Oliver, Executive Director, Deputy CEO, DDCAP Group/ETHOS AFP
Michal Selbka, Director – DeFi, Digital Assets & Tokenization North America, S&P Global Ratings
Souhayl Maronesy, Founder and CEO, EdificeX

Moderator:

Irshad Rasheed, President, Stearns Salaam Bank

Panelists:

Aamir Rehman, Chair, Innate Capital Partners
Aijaz Hussain, Executive Vice President of Sales & Director, UIF Corporation
Ahmad Quqa, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Private Wealth
Monem Salam, Executive Vice President, Director, and Portfolio Manager, Saturna Capital
Mushfique Shams Billah, Chair of Private Credit Team & Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Michael McMillen, Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP

Irshad Rasheed, President, Stearns Salaam Bank