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8/14/2019 Global Islamic Finance Education 2013
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CONTENT OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION FINDINGS
BONUS SECTIONCHALLENGES &
RECOMMENDATIONS
1 2
34
o Report Summary
o Definition
o Methodology
o Classification
o Geographic Distribution
o Distribution by Metrics
o Rankings by Number
o Comparative Analysis
o Key Challenges
o Envisioning the Future
o Recommendations
o Intellectual Contributions
by Industry Practitioners,
Thought Leaders, and
Academic Scholars
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WHAT ARE IFEKSP (ISLAMIC FINANCE EDUCATION & KNOWLEDGE
SERVICES PROVIDERS)?
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 5
For the purpose of this research, we defined IFEKSP (Islamic Finance Education and Knowledge Services
Providers) as organizations that provide any one or more of the following in the subjects of Islamic Economicsand/or Islamic Finance:
Dedicated degree programs ( Bachelors, Masters, PhD)
Courses within a degree program (Electives, Major courses)
Independent short courses (Non-degree)
Diploma (Postgraduate / Higher, Regular)
Certification
Training Courses ( Individual, Corporate )
Seminar, Workshop, Awareness programs
Research (Primarily academic)
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Asia43%
Europe22%
Middle East &
North Africa19%
North America8%
Sub-Saharan Africa6%
Oceania2%
DISTRIBUTION OF ISLAMIC FINANCE EDUCATION & KNOWLEDGE
SERVICE PROVIDERS BY WORLD REGION
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 10
Asia, home of the largest
Muslim population hosts
43%of global IFEKSP
1
2
3
45 6
742 IFEKSP
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TOP 10 COUNTRIES BY NUMBER OF ISLAMIC FINANCE
EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE SERVICES PROVIDERS
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 12
Pakistan tops the chart with 88 institutions
that offer education and knowledge services
in Islamic Finance in the country. 74 of these
are academic and 14 are non-academic
Institutions.
Malaysia and United Kingdom come second
with 86 institutions offering Islamic Finance
education and knowledge services.
United States and United Arab Emirates take
fourth and fifth position with 44 and 43
institutions respectively. In case of
United States 41 are universities and higher
learning institutions.
Pakistan
Malaysia
United Kingdom
United States
United Arab Emirates
Indonesia
India
Bangladesh
Bahrain
Turkey
88
86
86
44
43
31
28
22
20
12
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DISTRIBUTION OF ACADEMIC VS. NON ACADEMIC
INSTITUTIONS IN TOP 10 COUNTRIES
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 13
Academic & Higher Learning(Universities & Colleges)
NonAcademic(Training, Awareness and Other)
74
49
48
41
28
24
14
13
7
7
Pakistan
United Kingdom
Malaysia
United States
United Arab Emirates
Indonesia
India
Bangladesh
Turkey
Bahrain
38
37
15
14
14
13
9
7
5
3
Malaysia
United Kingdom
United Arab Emirates
Pakistan
India
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Turkey
United States
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INTELLECTUAL VS. SKILL BASED PROGRAMS
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 19
15%
85%
Intellectual Skill Based
Intellectual
(PhD, Dedicated Degree
Programs, Research)
Skill Based
(Certifications, Workshops,Training, Diploma, Seminars
Short Courses etc.)
How will research
and development
be facilitated for
future growth &
sustainability?
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DISTRIBUTION OF IFEKSP IN EUROPE
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 23
United Kingdom leads IslamicFinance Education Services in
Europ e with 53% of th e total
IFEKSP in the regio n
Country InstitutionsBelgium 2
Bosnia & Herzegovina 3
Cyprus 1
Denmark 3
Finland 1
France 12Germany 7
Hungary 2
Ireland 8
Italy 5
Luxembourg 5
Spain 5Sweden 3
Switzerland 6
The Netherlands 2
Turkey 12
United Kingdom 86 1
2
2
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DISTRIBUTION OF IFEKSP IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND
NORTH AFRICA
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 27
Algeria 1
Bahrain 20
Egypt 9
Iran 2
Iraq 1
Jordan 6Kuwait 7
Lebanon 9
Libya 3
Morocco 3
Oman 7
Qatar 4
Saudi Arabia 19
Tunisia 4
United Arab Emirates 43
Yemen 3
1
2
3
United Arab Emirates leads in MENA with
43institutions which is 30% of the totalIFEKSP in the region
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RECENT TREND IN DEMAND BY PROGRAM TYPES
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 33
Sample Size
2,910
Demographics (Region)
Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas,
Oceania, Middle EastSource: Yurizk Poll, Yurizk Web Queries (20122013)
Detail available in Full Report
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CHALLENGES FACING ISLAMIC FINANCE EDUCATION
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 34
HumanCapital
Research &
Innovation
Curriculum&
Textbooks
Funding
Insufficient quality human resource is claimed as
critical challenge for Islamic Finance industry although
85%of the educational initiatives are towards
professional development. Where is the gap?
Only 15%of the global IF
educational initiatives are potential
contributors of R&D. What should be
the way forward?
Who will design a comprehensive
curriculum that addresses all the
challenges to produce nextgeneration human capital?
How will the initiatives be funded?
Will there be conflict of interests?
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DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION HUMAN CAPITAL
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 35
SHARIAH SCHOLARS
ACADEMICIANS
RESEARCH SCHOLARS
SKILLED EMPLOYEES
1
2
3
4
How do we visualize the next
generation Shariah Scholars?
How do we visualize the nextgeneration Academicians?
What will be the role of next
generation Research Scholars?
What will be expected from next
generation skilled employees?
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BONUS SECTION
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 40
Industry Thought Leaders, Practitioners, Academic Scholars shared their
views on various issues of Islamic Finance Education
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WHY ISLAMIC FINANCE TRAINING NEEDS TO CONFORM
TO AAOIFI STANDARDS
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 41
Ethica I nstitute of I slamic F inance
Without standardized training and certification, the Islamic financeindustry will continue to calcify in its old ways: no serious innovation
into equity-based Musharakah and Mudarabah products; no practical
alternative to a fractional debt-reserve banking system; no global
gold-based currency; and no move away from debt-based mainstays.
Instead, what we need in order to rebuild Islamic finance is a strong
foundation of capable, trained individuals competent enough to
innovate products away from debt-based, fiat-based, cosmetically-enhanced conventional products for the rich and upper middle class to
equity-based, asset-based, genuine products for all.
Yet, we continue to sing the praises of Islamic bankers at awards
ceremonies, hymn the growthmantra of conventional economics,
and hope for the best. Somehow, someone, we believe, will one day
make it all right. After all, Islamic finance is just starting out and it
only needs a little more time to work out the details, no?
Wrong. Where we are presently headed is an unabashed embrace of
conventional banking served up with a milquetoast nod to the Shariah.
If we go on without standardized training, nothing changes and we
continue as before. We lend further credence to detractors who
believe that Islamic finance is not working and what is needed is a
complete revamp.
But because these same detractors leave much to be desired in the
way of a practical, scholar-approved blueprint for us to follow, what
the absence of a workable alternative will more likely lead to is
countless millions with a worse option (interest-based products) rather
than a merely bad one (poorly implemented Islamic finance).
What we need is a move away from the current state of anything
goes Islamic finance training and certification. What we need is
standardized training and certification based on AAOIFI ShariahStandards. AAOIFI, (pronounced a-yo-fee),is the Accounting and
Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions and the de
facto in over 90% of the worlds Islamic finance jurisdictions.
AAOIFI already brings together scholars from all over the world who
agree on Shariah standards and have put behind us the painstaking
task of harmonizing global standards.
According to the Institute of Management Accountants, AAOIFI
standards are now mandatory in Bahrain, the Dubai International
Financial Centre, Jordan, Qatar, Qatar Financial Centre, Sudan, South
Africa, Syria, and the Islamic Development Bank. AAOIFI standards
also form the basis for national standards in Bangladesh, Brunei,
France, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russian and
Central States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the
United Kingdom.
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 42
AAOIFIs regularly updated texts have become the definitive
reference work for those seeking a comprehensive rule book about
Islamic financial products and practices. Its 85 standards cover
everything from accounting and auditing to governance and product-
specific Shariah standards. The 16 to 20 scholars the number
depending on the year who sit on AAOIFIs Shariah Board areleading Islamic finance scholars who come from the Gulf, South Asia,
South East Asia, Africa, and North America; each of them legally
qualified to issue a fatwa and adjudicate on matters Islamic finance.
If we are going to be serious about Islamic finance, we need to be
serious about Islamic finance training. And being serious about
training means being careful about what is being said. A scholar once
advised his student, Find the best teacher and become the best
student.The best teacherthe Islamic finance industry presently has
is AAOIFI. Are we as studentsequal to the task?
Ethica 2013-18 |
Winner of "Best Islamic Finance Qualification" at the Global
Islamic Finance Awards, Ethica (www.EthicaInstitute.com) is
trusted by more professionals for Islamic finance certification.
Training and certifying professionals in over 100 financial
institutions in 56 countries, Ethica's 4-month Certified Islamic
FinanceExecutive (CIFE) is a globally recognized certificateaccredited by scholars to fully comply with AAOIFI, the world's
leading Islamic finance standard. Ethica's award-winning CIFE
is delivered 100% online or live at the bank. The Dubai-based
institute is now supported by Licensed Ethica Resellers in 11
countries. For more information about this article, or to schedule an
interview with Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance, please call +971-
4-455-8690 or e-mail at [email protected].
What we need is a move away from the current state of anything goes
Islamic finance training and certification. What we need is standardized
training and certification based on AAOIFI Shariah Standards.
www.ethicainstitute.com
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CHALLENGES AND RESOLVES FOR ISLAMIC FINANCE
EDUCATION: A PRACTITIONERS PERSPECTIVE
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 43
Muhammed I kram Thowfeek,President, First Global Academy
Till today, since 2008, given the global financial crisis after crisis,millions of people all over the world are suffering directly and/or
indirectly, whilst looking for alternatives to the conventional modes
of banking, financing and investments that can portray ethics and
fair dealings. These millions of people who are looking for an
alternative system of banking and finance are yet to explore the
benefits, opportunities and the growth potentials of the Islamic
banking and finance industry.
Unlike the conventional banking and finance that looks at any
financing and/or investment activity mostly from an economic and
financial benefits, whereas Islamic Finance (IF) goes beyond
economic and financial benefits, and looks at moral, ethical, social,
and religious aspects of it, which are unique propositions that can
provide solutions to millions of people (both Muslim and non-
Muslims) all over the world through equity participation, risk
sharing & fair dealing.
The challenging question to ask is that, if the IF industry canprovide solutions to those individuals, corporate entities and the
governments at large that are affected directly and/or indirectly by
the global financial crisis after crisis? Then, what is stopping the
industry of becoming the main stream banking & finance system
appealing to the global market to serve both the Muslims as well as
the non-Muslims? Is it Awareness,Educationand/or the
Islamic Finance Institutions (IFIs) within the industry are the
bottlenecks to sustain the growth of the IF industry and become the
main stream global finance system.
The simple answer to this challenging question is, bring
Awareness globally, from laymen to intellectuals, coupled with
Educationfrom 16+ years to the PhDs. All those who are Aware
and also equipped with education on the subject matter will
definitely can make a difference in the public domain and morespecifically at the institution level too, to raise the standards in every
facets of the organization to compete and to go beyond their
conventional counterparts, whilst sustaining the growth of the IF
industry and making it appealing to the global market.
Lets look at Awareness - what are the challenges and resolves
available to take this message of IFglobally to the laymen as well
as the intellectuals and to those in between, so that everyone
benefits.
Three decades plus, from the birth of the modern experiments with
IF in 1975, till to date, only 20% of the market opportunities and
growth potentials of IFindustry is tapped. Its,just like the tip of
the iceberg, 80% is largely untapped mainly due to lack of
understanding and awareness as to what Islamic Finance is all
about?
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only 20% of the market opportunities and growth potentials of IF industry is
tapped, just l ike the tip of the iceberg, and 80% is largely untapped main ly due
to lack of understanding and awareness as to what Islamic finance is all
about?
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 44
In most of the countries where there is an Islamic bank, two or more,
the target market is confined to the Muslim community only? As if
IFis only confined to the Muslims and not for the non-Muslims,
who are indeed looking for alternatives to the conventional modes of
banking & finance.
Why this focus? Again due to lack of understanding, awareness and
education on the subject of IFand its enormous benefits that couldaccrue to all mankind, irrespective of what color, sects, race, religion
or ethnic group they belongs to.
The primary challenge of some of the existing Islamic Financial
Institutions (IFIs) is not attracting new Muslim customers to the
Islamic finance fold, but how to retain those who are already
patronizing, while some of those although not satisfied with the
level of services and offerings compared with that of their
conventional counterparts but still stay put, with all the bickering,mainly due to the Shariahlayer or comfort. However, majority of
them move back to conventional banking or to any new IFI that has
open doors, seeking better customer services, wide range of product
offerings coupled with excellent distribution channels the pricing
and returns become secondary and then comes Shariahcompliance
for them.
Today, the mandates of bringing awareness to the masses is
confined to those Islamic Finance Infrastructure Institutions (IFIIs)
like, IFSB, AAOIFI, CIBAFI, IIFM, IRTI, IIRA, etc., through their
annual forums, conferences and symposiums held once or twice a
year. This has to change from annual events to a day to day affair
bringing awareness to the general public is onus on all the
stakeholders of the Islamic finance industry, mainly the institutional
players, practitioners, Shariah scholars etc., who should haveplanned awareness and educational events to reach out to the public
every nook and corner of the country through various channels
news media, TV, satellites, social media, Q&A forums, live, online,
virtual chats etc.
This needs a budget allocation by all the IFIs for planned events
mainly to bring public awareness and educating the masses (not only
the Muslim community but the entire humanity at large), which will
definitely add value to the bottom lines of the IFIs.
More the general public, from all walks of life, understand what the
IFis all about and experiences proper conduct of IFIs, not only the
Muslims are going to rally around and patronize IFIs the non-
Muslims too will join the bandwagon not mainly due to Shariah
compliance but due to excellent customer services and the ethical
values portrayed in every transaction and activity undertaken by the
IFIs.
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 45
Thats on Awareness, lets come back to the Educational
Programsin building professionals in the field of Islamic Finance
who could take this industry to yet another paradigm given the
appetite and the global attractions to the Industry aftermath of the
global financial crisis after crisis.
With all due respect, most of the educational institutions that areoffering a certificate, diploma, a degree or a PhD level program in
Islamic finance drumbeats that they are sharing practice (not theory)
with students and making them ready to take up positions in the
Islamic banking and finance industry.
The other day, a dear friend of mine, asked me a question, soliciting
my views as a seasoned professional in the Islamic Finance (IF)
industry, trying to see what I thought the prospects were for those
young people looking to enter the Islamic Finance industry and
'make a difference'.
He said, The story these young graduates keep telling me is that
there are simply no jobs on offer which seems to be at odds with
the headlines that we keep seeing proclaiming that the IFindustry
is 'growing at 20% per year.
My response was Thoseseeking greener pastures or opportunities
in the IF industry are unfortunately knocking at the wrong doors or
are ill equipped - the regional and global markets are opening up for
Islamic financeso be ready.
Further, I mentioned that, beingin the IF industry over the last two
decades, I strongly believe that the bigger the global financial crisis
is the greater the opportunities are to all the stakeholders in the
Islamic finance industry, which can provide solutions to millions of
people (both Muslims and non-Muslims) all over the world to
improve their lives, financial and investment choices - through
equity participation, risk sharing and fair dealings.
To get these graduates and students who are looking for a career and
to fill one of those million jobs needed up to 2020, as per the
researchers, need to pursue on programs that really make them
professionally qualified as an iBanker (Islamic Banker) whilst
retaining their specialization or their field of choice namely, ICT,
human resources, Shariah,product development, sales, marketing,
legal, financing, accounting, management etc.
Keeping in mind, these current demands for professional Islamic
Bankers who can raisethe barof the IFIs, in particular, and the IF
industry, in general, the First Global Academy (FGA) have rolled
out the iBanker Certificate, Diploma and Executive Diploma
programs to the global market (both in campus and online), for those
who would like to enter at different levels from 16+ years onwards.
Becoming an iBanker, in a chosen field, by following these FGA
programs not only groom students to take up any entry level or a
higher position in any IFI but also makes them to look at banking&
financefrom yet another perspective. That is, as Entrepreneurs.
Islamicbankers are not mere bankers from a conventional sense,
where accepting deposits and lending are the core competencies of
conventional bankers to have the maximum spread between the two.
Whereas the Islamic bankers and finance specialists focus on
profit/loss sharing by using the funds on economic generating
investing and trading activities to make a profit and share that profit
with all the depositors and shareholders, whilst protecting the fabric
of our society without engaging in activities prohibited and harmful
to the society.
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 46
With the mindset of grooming an iBanker to be an iEntrepreneur
(Islamic Entrepreneur) too, we will be sharing only Practice,
Practice & Practice of Islamic finance and our lecturers panel are
geared up to do so and equipped with practical knowledge and
exposure in setting up IFIs in the Middle East (ME) region fromscratch. They know and very well aware whatshappening in the
kitchen of those institutions and the expectations of the customers.
Indeed, there is a wide gap persist between the expectations of the
customers and the reality; we have to narrow down this gap to reach
out to as many people as we can with Islamic finance offerings
bringing benefits to all (both Muslims and non-Muslims alike) to
improve their lives, financial and investment choices - through
equity participation, risk sharing and fair dealings.
I strongly believe that bigger the
global f inancial cr isis is the greater
the opportun ities are to all the
stakeholders in the I F industry,which can provide solutions to
mill ions of people (both M uslims
and non-Muslims) all over the
world to improve their l ives,
f inancial and investment choices
through equity parti cipation, risk
sharing and fair dealings
Muhammed I kram Thowfeek (M IT) is currently the Founder of
First Global Group and Group CFO of QAF Holdings Group. He is
a Chartered Accountant by profession and an Islamic Banker by
practice. To date, he has gained a wealth of knowledge and
experience in auditing, management consultancy, financial control,
strategic planning & budgeting, Islamic banking & finance, retail,
commercial and investment banking, Islamic capital and globalSukuk (Islamic Bonds) market, training and career development
etc., through his diverse positions held in various organizations
(Ernst & Young, Kuwait Finance House, First Islamic Investment
Bank, International Islamic Financial Market, Commercial Bank of
Qatar, Barwa Bank, QAF Holdings Group, First Global Group).
Mr. Thowfeek is a startup specialist and has set up number of
Islamic Banks (IBs) and Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs) in the
ME region, both fully fledged Islamic Banks and independent IB
branches of conventional banks, from scratch.
He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants (ACA) of Sri Lanka, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute
of Management Accountants (FCMA), Chartered Global
Management Accountant (CGMA) of the UK, a Member of the
Institute of Financial Consultants (MIFC) of the USA, a Member of
the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (MCSI) of the
UK and a Certified Islamic Banker.
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PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION IN ISLAMIC FINANCE
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 48
Prof essor D r. Syed Othman Alhabshi , Chief Academic Officer, INCEIF
The best practice especially in the banking industry is to recruitstaff from various backgrounds. There are occasions where the staff
is not from the disciplines related to economics and finance. They
can be engineers, medical doctors, quantity surveyors, lawyers, etc.
The main reason is that most of the tasks involved in banking can be
easily learnt by those from different background. I know a
statistician who was given a chance to work in an Islamic bank.
Eventually he became one of the most efficient senior staff of the
bank. We also know of engineers and lawyers who do extremely
well in the banking industry. Learning from such experience, it
would be a proper practice for students of Islamic finance to come
from various academic backgrounds. This will certainly enrich the
discussions in class because the body of students would have
differing views from various perspectives, skewed to their
background.
I for one strongly believed that the students would do extremely well
if the professor shows tremendous patience in nurturing them inside
and outside classroom. I read of a story of a sociology professor whowanted to know whether the young children of about 10 years old,
in a particular slum area in US would make it in life or not. He sent
two hundred of his MBA students to the slum area and selected two
hundred children to find out if they would make it in life. Based on
the environment, the way they dressed, the materials they wear, etc.
the two hundred MBA students had only one answer. They all
agreed that these children will never make it in life
Twenty-five years later, another sociology professor who happened
to read the report sent two hundred of his Masters students to the
same slum area to find out from the same two hundred children who
were the subject of that study twenty-five years earlier. They found
that out of two hundred children, only one hundred eighty three
were around. The other seventeen have either moved out of the area
or have passed away. The Masters students found that all the one
hundred and eighty-seven children who are now about 35 years old
have actually succeeded in life. Some are engineers, others are
lawyers, doctors, teachers, corporate executives, etc. They then
asked how come they were so successful. The answer was, there
was a teacher. The two hundred Masters students asked around to
find the teacher who happened to be an old lady of about seventy
years old. When she was asked how come those children who were
considered to have no chance to make it in life have now achieved
tremendous success, she answered with a broad smile on her face, I
LOVE THEM ALL.
I strongly believe that the approach to be adopted in nurturingstudents whoever they are is to show them the respect, the
confidence we have in them, the dedication and commitment we
give them to really make them successful in life. It is not just the
quality of students that we have but more importantly what our real
intention is when teaching them.
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 49
Having a very comprehensive programme with high quality
curriculum and content is very essential to produce the talents we
need in any field. Of course we also need quality students with the
positive attitude to learn. Above all, we need the right approach to
coach, train and educate the students in the most effective way.
One of the major challenges in producing the right type of talent in
Islamic finance is to provide them with the right input so that they
would be able to manage and handle all situations that they face in
the industry. This is a major challenge because Islamic finance as a
subject or discipline of study is still very new. We do not have
standard texts for all the subjects that we teach. Most of the time, weuse texts that are not complete and hence have either to use many
texts or to be added with our own materials. This poses a problem of
standardization or harmonization, especially with regards to Shariah,
principles or concepts and products. We know that there are
conflicting views on Shariah matters between jurisdictions. Hence
we do get products that are acceptable in one market but rejected in
other markets. Even these differences are not considered as major
issues. This is because those conflicting views can be explained and
such conflicts do get mitigated.
There is yet a bigger challenge where some scholars simply feel that
the current practice of Islamic banking and finance are not Shariah
compliant because the beneficiaries do not include the poor and the
have-nots. They prefer to take the view that the benefits of Islamic
banks today which directly benefit the rich and the bankable only
have ignored one of the objectives of Maqasid Shariah that is meant
to bring about benefits to all and sundry and not confined only to the
rich and bankable.
Such a view simply denies the benefits that Islamic finance as
practiced today has brought about to society. Those who adopted
this view do not have the alternative system that could resolve theproblem of those poor and not bankable. The challenge then is how
to ensure that there is financial inclusion. One possible answer is
Islamic microfinance.
Although Islamic finance is growing at a faster rate than
conventional finance, which under present circumstances is
unstoppable, the biggest challenge is acute shortage of human
talents who have very high technical knowledge and at the same
time have excellent Shariah knowledge. We have also observedmany qualifications in Islamic finance that have been introduced to
the market that do not provide the right level, quality and scope of
the subject. We need to find ways of attracting students to the right
programmes so that the objective of bringing Islamic finance to the
next level can be effectively achieved.
Professor Dr . Syed Othman Alhabshi is the Chief Academic Officer
at INCEIF. Since November 1969, Prof Syed Othman has served in
various academic capacities in five leading universities in thecountry. He has also served in various capacities on the boards of a
number of organizations including takaful and investment
companies in Malaysia and Pakistan. He has written and published
more than 200 articles and books.
..the biggest chal lenge is acute shor tage of human talents who have very high
technical knowledge and at the same time have excellent Shar iah knowledge
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ISLAMIC MICROFINANCE EDUCATION: THE CRITICAL NEED,
OPPORTUNITY & WAY FORWARD
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 50
Islamic Microfinance means micro financing through interest freemodes to the financially deprived and poor people to generate
economic activities and making them self employed for the ultimate
economic prosperity. As per the latest research of Centre of
Excellence in Islamic Microfinance of AlHuda CIBE, the global
Islamic Microfinance volume has reached at US $1 billion with
persistent growth and serving about 1.3 million beneficiaries but the
share of Islamic Microfinance by less than 1% of overall volume of
Islamic Finance (US $1.3 trillion), unveils its misfortune. As per the
expert view it is stated that the Islamic Microfinance education is theultimate way to make Islamic Microfinance practicing and let the
people aware of the Islamic Microfinance on global canvas for its
acceptability. The main hindrance to the Islamic microfinance
behind successful execution is instant acceptability caused by lack
of awareness. The concept of Islamic microfinance is recently
developed dimension for micro financing to operate on Islamic
modes and started in early 1960 from Latin America and South East
Asia but Bangladesh has significant contribution to originate and
approach the concept of Islamic Micro financing. The Islamic micro
financing is being done through different models such as: Gramin
Model, Credit Union and Self Help Group in particulars but the
microfinance sector is looking forward a compatible brain well
trained and equipped to practice Islamic Microfinance using these
models prudently. It is observed there are no specialized institutions
for the education of Islamic Microfinance in particular.
Absence of specialized education in Islamic Microfinance,
particularly, is the crucial fact in Islamic Microfinance Industry,
which is one of the hurdles for the promotion of the industry as well.
There is an immediate need to initiate comprehensive degree
programs on Islamic Microfinance globally. If we look into the main
challenges of Islamic microfinance, the lack of awareness and
education fall on the top. Islamic Microfinance Industry is facing lot
of criticism in different aspects e.g. acceptability of Islamic Finance
because of lack of awareness, education and religious consciousness
are the main challenges to Islamic Microfinance Industry.
The expensive education of Islamic microfinance is also a
discouraging factor for the Islamic Microfinance learners which
should be subsidized and funded by Donor agencies e.g. IFC, World
Bank and IDB etc. The 46% of whole world poverty exists in
Muslim World while Muslim population in the world is 26%, so
Islamic Microfinance can potentially be used for poverty alleviation
by social awareness programs through proper channels and
educationists of Islamic Micro Finance realizing its importance and
optimal results.
Muhammad Zubair Mughal is the Chief Executive Officer of
AlHuda Centre of Islamic Banking and Economics (CIBE). He has
been working consistently for last nine years for poverty alleviation
through Islamic Microfinance concept; he can be reached at
Muhammad Zubair M ughal, Chief Executive Officer, AlHuda CIBE
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT IN THE ISLAMIC FINANCE INDUSTRY:
NEEDED OR NOT?
Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 51
More and more educational institutions, around the world, areoffering degree programs and diplomas in Islamic Finance and
banking. This is a good sign as it indicates that the growing global
Islamic finance industry has a rising demand for competent and
trained talent.
Given that the industry is in growth mode why cant those
undertaking industry qualifications get jobs?
57,000 new Islamic Finance jobs? How not to get one! This wasa headline from a leading online news provider about eight months
ago.
Whilst industry news reports spout various numbers, by countries, of
the qualified talent requirement, the scenario on ground belies the
fact that the industry organizations are doing anything concrete
towards talent development. Studying the industry shows two clear
trends:
1. Most Islamic finance operations started as windows. The
conventional products were wrapped in an Islamic cover and
offered out. Inadvertently such a practice impacted the talent
recruitment practice of an organization wherein the preference
was for regular conventional finance qualifications.
2. Factor in the lack of industry and academia collaboration
resulting in slow development of professional standards and the
required practical educational content.
These two trends, amidst the backdrop of the global financial crises
that forced organizations to make do with available talent resources,
gives us the background of where talent development in the Islamic
finance industry is at presently.
Whilst respective international financial centers are attempting
certain actions towards a formal talent development policy, on its
own initiative, the global industry is yet to take up this issue as a
critical one.
Talent is the most crucial element in the success of an organization.
Recruiting, engaging and managing the talent, career planning and
developing the talent to be an organizational leader, all of these
ensure sustainable growth and success of an organization. For the
Islamic finance industry lining up the ducks that result in excellent
talent will only be beneficial in all ways.
A key first step is to define what talent is. A common definition,
across the industry, would help in establishing parameters that
would aid in developing a talent development policy, at an industry
level, and aid in developing their independent talent management
strategy.
Some key parameters to put in place would be:
i. Clear set of competencies and a grid to score on, identifying areas
of development.
ii. Identifying talent based on these competencies.
Joy Abdull ah,Head of Marketing & Communication, INCEIF
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 52
iii. Ensure the organization has an environment that speaks to
personal growth people must not only want to get better but must
be allowed to, as well.
iv. Lastly ensure identified talent has progressively meaningful
work and gaining influence. These are two critical success factors
for talented staff in terms of retention and productivity.
The second step would be the route of collaborations between
industry organizations and academia and actively investing in the
collaboration to obtain the desired quality talent. As talent is a
primary requirement of the organizations in keeping their business
running, the lead on this has to come from the organizations
themselves. The way forward could be to collaborate with the
academic institutions for research requirements that the
organizations need to grow their business.
Thirdly, use the output of the research to develop case studies that
can then become part of academic programme content in order to
provide a more experiential knowledge base for incoming talents.
Lastly, a globally accepted set of competency standards needs to be
in place as the guideposts to what is expected from the talents in
terms of educational qualifications.
There are dual benefits of having in place an industry focused talent
development policy.
I. Locally the organizations would be seeding in the
competencies they seek in a talent, through the collaborations
with academia.
II. The talent gains both knowledge and competencies that the
industry organizations require to keep their business growing.
At a country level, this would act as a stimulus for the financial
services and the education sector. As the collaborations are actioned,
the talents recruited directly by the organizations will create a
word-of-mouth scenario through social media by talking about
their jobs. This in turn will lead to potential talents looking at the
industry and evaluating career benefits. From there itsa short step
to obtain required qualifications. So the academic institutions start
benefiting as demand for their programme rises. Net result theindustry gains by having a continuous pool of planned for talent that
has the competencies the industry wants.
At an international level centralized collaborations, between industry
bodies in different financial centers, will bring together
organizations and academia to work on enhancing specific areas of
the existing academic content. This, in turn, will facilitate generation
of cross-border academic content. Which benefits talents all round
by providing them the cross-jurisdiction knowledge they need.
For a talent this provides a huge benefit as he or she becomes a true
knowledge worker and is able to value-add to an organization
irrespective of the geographical market.
A common grouse of the industry CEOs is on the issue of howcan
the sharia specialists understand the bottom-line business pressures
and how can the commercial specialists understand there are strict
ethical principles to adhere to. This constant mode of internal
challenge actually inhibits progress.
So what can the global industry do in aiding the organizations in
resolving this issue, as a start towards having effective talent
development strategies?
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 53
1. Co-create short training content that provides an overview for the
respective teams i.e. the sharia specialists get a business overview
and how their decision impact a businesss bottom line & the
commercial specialists get an overview of what are the key
guidelines to know in ensuring they can deliver a sharia compliant
product.
Taking it one level down, at an organizational level, the team i.e. of
commercial and sharia specialists could perhaps be given joint
business targets for achievement and joint rewards for achievement.
This would bring about joint talent development in the organizations
and allow them to maximize the knowledge and competency of their
talents for the benefit of the organization.
2. Accept and Implement a common global standard for
qualifications like other professional qualifications develop and
implement a global standard for qualifications, including short term
courses, which all educational institutions and educational service
providers have to adhere to.
This will bring about a rise in the quality of the talent as well as
enable the industry organizations to have a standard on which they
can base their recruitment policies.
The advantage the Islamic finance industry organizations have, vis-
-vis other industries, is that there are vast amounts of expertise
from their conventional counterparts already available for use rolling
out effective talent development plans.
But talent development will remain on the backbench, unless and
until, organizations take it upon themselves to align their business
goal, organizational values and talent competencies and approach
the academia with what they need.
Joy Abdull ah is the head of marketing & communication at INCEIF
The Global University of Islamic Finance
The opinions expressed is a personal point of view of the author and
is not an opinion from or on behalf of INCEIF.
..talent development wi l l remain on
the backbench, unless and unti l ,
organizations take it upon themselves
to ali gn their business goal,
organizational values and talent
competencies and approach the
academia with what they need.
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 54
We would like to thank
We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their moral support, assistance, and intellectual
contributions in this report.
Sameer Hasan, Business Director, Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance
Muhammed Ikram Tho wfeek, Chairman & Founder, First Global Group
Muath Mubarak, Lecturer of Islamic Banking and Finance, First Global Academy
Dr. Syed Othman Alhabshi, Professor & Chief Academic Officer, INCEIF
Joy Abdu l lah, Head of Marketing & Communication, INCEIF
Muhammad Zub ai r Mughal, Chief Executive Officer, AlHuda CIBE
Almir Colan, Director, Australian Centre for Islamic Finance
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CommitmentIslamic EconomicsFinance FocusEducation
StrengthResearch and MarketingSecond NatureCreativity
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 56
Appendix: List of Institutions (Academic)
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Global Islamic Finance Education 2013 62
Appendix: List of Institutions (Non-Academic)