DU holds int'l conference on Islamic Finance, Banking

The Dhaka University (DU) has organised a two-day international conference on Islamic Finance and Banking under the theme 'Islamic Finance for Sustainable Economic Development'.

The event is jointly organised by the DU Department of Finance and the Central Shariah Board for Islamic Banks of Bangladesh (CSBIBB).

The conference began at 9:00 am on Friday at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building Auditorium of the university, and will conclude today (Saturday).

The inaugural session was virtually inaugurated by DU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan as the chief guest. Special guests of the event included Chairman of Shariah Advisory Board of Bangladesh Bank Professor Dr Abu Bakar Rafiq, Managing Director of United Finance Limited Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, and Secretary General of Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) Omar Mustafa Ansari.

Department of Finance Chairman Professor Dr H M Mosharraf Hossain, and CSBIBB Secretary General Mufti Mohammad Muhibullahil Baqi An-Nadvi delivered the welcome addresses.

Academic papers were presented by Professor Dr Mohammad Kabir Hassan of University of New Orleans, USA; Professor Habib Ahmed of Durham University, UK; Professor Dr Md Imranul Haque of University of Manchester, UK; Professor Dr Habibullah Zakariyah of International Islamic University Malaysia; Professor Dr Eskandar Shah Mohd Rashid, Chief Executive Officer of ISRA Consulting Malaysia; and Mohammad Farooq Reza, Chairman of Governance and Ethics Board of AAOIFI.

The session was moderated by Kazi Md Jamshed, Assistant Professor of DU Department of International Business; and Mufti Muhammad Hedayetullah, First Assistant Vice President of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited.

In his speech, the DU VC highlighted the ongoing challenges in the banking sector, and said such conferences could play a significant role in addressing the current crises. He emphasised the importance of strengthening dialogue, collaboration, and networking between academia and industry to effectively tackle the emerging challenges.

In the second segment of the programme, five panel discussions were held on the theme 'Islamic Finance Education in Bangladesh'. The panelists included Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Dr Md Golzar-e-Nabi, Dean of DU Faculty of Business Studies Professor Dr Mahmud Osman Imam, Professor of National University Dr Mohammad Manjur-e-Ilahi, Imam of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Mufti Mohammad Muhibullahil Baqi An-Nadvi, and Professor of United International University Dr Mohammad Omar Farooq.

Professor Dr Mohammad Kabir Hassan moderated the panel discussions.

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