IslamicFinance.de

Representatives from G20 and OECD countries will meet in Istanbul on Friday to discuss how companies can avoid too much risk. The G20/OECD Corporate Governance Forum will consider sound corporate organization, safer financial markets, and well-regulated financial systems in emerging markets. The Forum will also address issues of systemic importance to sustainable private sector growth, including the institutionalisation of growth companies and capital market development in emerging market economies. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, a key figure responsible for the economy is scheduled to make the opening speech at the event.

The Turkish government has announced it will be seeking to tap into the $1 trillion Islamic financial industry. Stronger Islamic banks would enable Turkey to attract more cash from the Gulf and Asia, where the appetite for Sharia-compliant products far outstrips the existing supply. This could potentially make Istanbul a regional financial hub. For now, Europe still accounts for the lion's share of trade with Turkey's financial institutions and wider economy. But with Europe still in the grip of financial woes, the Turkish economy is diversifying and looking at alternative markets in the Middle East or North Africa. The development of Islamic finance could become an increasingly useful instrument in that strategy.