IslamicFinance.de

The International Islamic Relief Organisation-Saudi Arabia (IIROSA) is to launch six endowment (waqf) projects in Makkah at a cost of over SR470 million, with annual returns of about SR45 million that will be used to finance the organisation’s relief and development projects.

IslamicFinance.de is calling Islamic financial institutions to become member of the UNEP Finance Inititiave to learn and contribute to international best practice in ethical and faith based finance:

"UNEP FI is a global partnership between UNEP and the financial sector. Over 180 institutions, including banks, insurers and fund managers, work with UNEP to understand the impacts of environmental and social considerations on financial performance."

membership information package:
http://www.unepfi.org/fileadmin/forms/MembershipInformationPack.pdf

Dear Readers,

Would you ever imagine an investor giving you an amount X to participate at a percentage of your lifelong income?

This is what the Thrust Fund suggests:

"Here's how it works:

Thrust Funders learn about Entrepreneurs.

When the Funder sees an Entrepreneur of interest, she or he submits an inquiry to that Entrepreneur and coordinates a time and manner to discuss passions, plans, and pursuits.

When a Thrust Funder decides to support an Entrepreneur, she or he may negotiate exactly what that support will look like. "

The sample contract is shown here:
http://www.thrustfund.com/documents/contract.pdf

The investment is done one to one, no diversification like usually with a fund concept. The current entrepreneurs seeking finance are shown here:

http://www.thrustfund.com/biographies.html

Could such a model work in the Muslim world? Any Sharia restrictions to be imposed for the sake of justice?

Let's start thinking!

Best regards,

Michael Saleh Gassner

PRESS RELEASE

Oak Brook, Illinois, January 13, 2010: The World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP) expresses its utmost sorrow on the massive devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, a Caribbean nation suffering with utter poverty. To ensure rapid and effective response to this tragedy, we have established an emergency cell that will closely monitor and assess the situation on ground, and will serve as the bridge between the global community of donors and partner humanitarian agencies. WCMP anticipates working closely with the Organization of Islamic Conference, United Nations, Red Crescent Societies, and other reputable agencies present or familiar with the region.

WCMP urges philanthropists, foundations, and corporations in general and of Muslim world in particular to join us in this multi-partner relief effort. Please direct your communications to the following address:

WCMP- Haiti Emergency Cell
Imtiaz Khan, MD
ikhan@thewcmp.org
+1-630-242-2792

With best regards,

WCMP Secretariat

A UN Food Agency is co-operating with Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to help advance agriculture in poor countries.

The Financial Times produced a special looking into the Future of Islamic Finance.

The download is free of charge.

“BUILDING A BETTER WORLD”

New Horizons - Sound Strategies

The Ritz Carlton – Doha, Qatar

March 21-22, 2010

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Deadline: November 30, 2009

The annual conference of World Conference of Muslim Philanthropists, now recognized as the most prestigious forum on Muslim philanthropy worldwide, invites papers as well as proposals for sessions and workshops showcasing innovative, cutting-edge and experimental work.

THEME AND TOPICS

The conference will focus on how the integrated efforts of philanthropic, public and private sectors can effectively respond to the worsening global issues of hunger, poverty, disease, climate change and conflict. The forum will also host interactive roundtable discussions on Aid-effectiveness and Impediments to Building Capacity for Transformational Change. To further elucidate the theme “Building A Better World: New Horizons-Sound Strategies,” the conference will feature a special session on emerging markets philanthropy and global trends in giving.

PRESS RELEASE

Washington, DC, October 16, 2009

The World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP) is launching its first multi-donor giving circle—the “Hasanah Fund”—to develop and implement new, sustainable programs to combat world hunger and poverty.

The Fund will secure $100 million from philanthropists, foundations, and corporations in the next five years to fund long-term hunger eradication and poverty alleviation in 20 countries facing the ongoing food crisis. Funded projects will address not just the aggregate quantity of food that must be produced and distributed, but also how food is produced and by whom.

Hasanah Fund will complement the exemplary work of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Islamic Development Bank towards hunger, which is affecting over one billion people worldwide. “This initiative clearly demonstrates the enduring commitment of Muslim philanthropists to the social and economic upliftment of the poorest people,” says Dr. Tariq Cheema, CEO of WCMP.

Yasaar media published a new report called Islamic Finance in North America 2009 for free download, which is co-published by Codexa Capital, UM Financial Group, King & Spalding, and Doha Islamic.

According to the report Islamic finance in North America has developed along two quite separate paths:

• The first path focuses on retail Islamic finance and centres mostly on home financing products and credit cards.

• The second path involves a number of high profile GCC-based Islamic investment banks and their deployment of hundreds of millions of dollars in private equity and real estate developments in North America.

Read the full report for free at the link below.

CALL FOR PAPERS AND PARTICIPATION

for International Conference on
"Waqf Laws & Management: Reality and Prospects"

Jointly organized by

Management Centre (MC), Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws (AIKOL) and International Institute for Muslim Unity (IIMU), International Islamic University Malaysia

Date:
20 / 22 October 2009

Venue:
Cultural Activity Centre (CAC),
International Islamic University Malaysia, Gombak Campus

You are cordially invited to contribute to the academic conference by writing a paper and sharing your valuable knowledge on one of the following dimensions of the conference:

Istanbul Declaration Adopted By The First Meeting Of The Development And Cooperation Institutions Of The Member States Of The Organisation Of The Islamic Conference (May 13-14, 2009) Istanbul, Republic Of Turkey

Date: 16/05/2009 - View in: Arabic | French - Print

We, the Heads/Representatives of the Development and Cooperation Institutions (DCIs) of the Member States of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Heads of Delegations participating in the First Meeting of the Development and Cooperation Institutions of the OIC Member States held in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey on 13-14 May 2009,

Inspired by the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action, adopted by the Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in December 2005,

Commending the OIC General Secretariat, the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) for their initiative of convening the First Meeting of the Development and Cooperation Institutions of the OIC Member States,

PRESS RELEASE

Conventional to Strategic: A New Paradigm in Giving

March 22-23, 2009 • Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The 2nd World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP) concluded today after several key developments had been achieved that indicate an evolution in Muslim giving. The WCMP is a high-level network of donors and foundations established to promote informed and effective giving. The annual Congress itself is a unique event which brings together a diverse set of participants, with the hope that enhanced cooperation between different philanthropies through strategic partnerships will add profound value to address global challenges that affect both humanity and the environment.

Dr. Tariq Cheema, the founder of the WCMP, affirms that the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP)' brings together leaders who understand the risks and opportunities they have are common as global citizens, and therefore realize that collaboration across the lines of faith and race is a necessity and not merely a choice'.

Developments

The International Zakat Organisation ('IZO'), an important new charitable body of the Organisation of The Islamic Conference ('OIC'), announced its selection of The BMB Group to lead a new global charitable initiative which promises to be the largest in the Islamic world.

The proposed Global Zakat & Charity Fund would be over USD 3 bn in size and will manage charitable funds to address needy causes in the world.

The Fund will invest in community development projects with an emphasis on sustainability. The four major areas to be targeted are: (1) income generation through the provision of private equity investments to small and medium enterprises, (2) development of social enterprise through the establishment of hospitals, educational institutions and housing developments (3) development of agricultural and other vital infrastructure and (4) the provision of relief and emergency funding.

Mat Hassan Esa is the CEO of International Zakat Organisation.
Dr Humayon Dar is the CEO of BMB Islamic.
BMB appoints David Gibson-Moore as Managing Partner.

Ellina Badri reported in The Edge Daily about the memorandum of understanding between Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd and Bank Muamalat Indonesia Bhd for the distribution of Islamic trust products.

Islamic trusts involve investments made following syariah principles and asset distribution according to Islamic rules of succession. The range of Islamic trust products include will-writing and estate administration services, and waqf, or a gift of property for religious or charitable purposes.

Chris Cook opined in an Asia Times Online feature as guest writer that the Gulf takes the wrong currency path, commenting on the announced creation of a GCC currency union along the lines of the Euro. He sees the alternative to the central banking model as a peer-to-peer "Gulf Clearing Union" similar to the Swiss Wirtschaftsring-Genossenschaft. WIR members are obliged to give security over their property by way of collateral, it is a monetary system that is "property-backed". The key innovation that will enable a Gulf Clearing Union is the simple expedient of creating - within a suitable legal framework - a "petro" unit redeemable in a constant amount of energy value. Settlement of credit would take place in petros, in goods or services by reference to the petro, or in dollars or other currency acceptable to the seller.

Chris Cook is a former director of the International Petroleum Exchange and is now a strategic market consultant, entrepreneur and commentator.

Swiss WIR bank concept: http://www.wir.ch/

Shveta Pathak reported in Business 24/7 on 30 December about the opportunity of micro finance in the Middle East interviewing Jack Lowe, President of BlueOrchard, USA, a Swiss micro finance company.

Jack Lowe, President of BlueOrchard, USA, sees the stable returns and low volatility offered by micro finance as key benefits making it a preferred asset class. The stable returns and low volatility are achieved because micro finance is closely linked to real economy, the society and has the advantage of managing the current situation better.

With the UAE Ministry of Economy having been assigned the task of launching a federal strategy to develop a programme to support and finance small start-ups in the UAE, micro finance institutions are hopeful of tapping the market Lowe told Emirates Business in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts from the interview: http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/2008/12/pages/12302008_f5a31399c6914...

Richard Agnew wrote on Arabian Business on 29 December about the Global Challenge: Gulf investors are being sought to fund USD 100 mn contests to tackle world changing breakthroughs in fields such as space exploration and life sciences. Peter Diamandis is chairman of the US-based X-Prize Foundation, which manages on behalf of the investors the contest.

Launched in 1996, the X-Prize Foundation is credited with helping to kickstart the commercial space industry through the Ansari X-Prize — a USD 10 mn competition won by the Paul Allen-backed SpaceShipOne vehicle in 2004. Large prices should change the way people think, from questioning the feasibility to discussing the delivery. Future contest may focus on mapping the ocean floor, boosting food production, and for example a person who is severely handicapped from spinal cord injuries could be given the ability to regain their functionality.

http://www.xprize.org/

The UAE is hosting the sixth International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition - DIHAD 2009 from 7th - 9th of April 2009 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai. It is organised by Index Holding with the offical support of the United Nations and the UAE Red Crescent Society. The theme of the event is "Empowering Communities: From Disaster to Development". Specialised sessions are offered:

- Building Community Resilience and Capacity for Disaster Preparedness and Response
- Climate Change and the Global Food Crisis: How can Communities prepare and respond.
- Case Studies of Mitigation, Preparedness and Response to Disasters and other emergencies at the Community Level Urban and Rural Environments.
- Technologies, partnerships and approaches to support communities to prepare and respond to Disasters and direct their development.
- Recovery from Disasters and Sustainable Development -Community Mobilization, and Community Empowerment and Development through Micro-Credit: Global Experience.