About GFIF

Global Forum on Islamic Finance (GFIF) has been established at the platform of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Lahore, Pakistan. This initiative is an annual event that gathers experts on Islamic Finance from all around the world. The motive to launch this event is to deliberate the spectacular political and socio-economic developments, and their likely impacts on the performance and future position of Islamic financial institutions, the regulatory set-ups, and popularity of Islamic financial products being offered to the public and private sector.

The GFIF 2014 hosted by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Lahore, Pakistan was aimed at providing an opportunity to scholars from around the globe to share the latest developments in the field of Islamic finance. The theme of this Conference was “Developments and the Way Forward”. This forum provided a platform to leading industry players, academics and researchers to address key factors around achieving scale through novelty to strengthen Islamic financial institutions and ensure long-term stability of industry. The GFIF 2014 proved to be a key platform that assisted academicians, researchers, industry players and policy makers to analyse issues as well as recent developments of Islamic finance, hence providing innovative solutions to meet the increasingly complex needs of corporate borrowers, consumers, issuers and investors; and created the conditions that enabled a more globally harmonized footprint for Islamic financial institutions and, if achieved, will drive the Islamic finance industry to the next level of success.

The year 2013 marked first successful launch of this program under the theme “Islamic Finance: New Realities New Challenges”. The event gathered eclectic participants on Islamic Finance from several countries around the globe including USA, UK, Turkey, Malaysia, Australia, Oman, Lebanon, Brunei Darussalam and UAE. The hallmark of this event was panel discussion where adept practitioners and scholars highlighted critical issues in Islamic Finance. Experts in the panel discussion emphasized on the need to establish Islamic Finance Research Centre for proper understanding and growth of Islamic Finance.

The Centre for Islamic Finance at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Lahore, Pakistan is a new initiative to facilitate research and promote the understanding of Islamic Finance through lectures, conferences and various short courses. The establishment of this Centre is an effort to elevate Islamic financial knowledge and ascertain a network of mutual cooperation and collaboration from individuals to small businesses, from corporate empires to researchers, policy makers and governments around the Muslim world. Centre of Islamic Finance will boost innovation, research and ultimately give benefit to society by the greater understanding of Islamic finance.