Roma: Summer School ISLAMIC FINANCE IN EUROPE – المالية الإسلامية في أوروبا Tools for the deve

MESCI – Master in Development Economics and International Co-operation
 

brochure (pdf)

During the last decade, Islamic Finance has grown constantly at the remarkable rate of 10-15% per year.
At present, with over 600 Islamic financial institutions in the world and assets estimated at over 2 trillion USD, the Islamic financial market constitutes an attractive area of investment for European bankers and economic operators. At the same time, it represents a fascinating topic of study for researchers and students, involving a variety of issues, from comparative law and risk management to alternative techniques of financial intermediation in the global economy.

The fundamental aim of the initiative is to provide participants with proper tools to understand the present evolution of Islamic Finance in relation to the EU market both from an economic and legal standpoints, according to a multidisciplinary approach. At the same time, Islamic Finance will be inserted in the broader recipient of contemporary globalization, highlighting: – the process of hybridization of economic and legal structures, as a result of the meeting between foreign cultures and the West, – and the attempt to meet the needs of a changing world, where developed and developing economies are facing new challenges. The Summer School is addressed to interpret Islamic Finance in the context of an emergent plural financial system at a global stage, where new ethical demands affect the request for renovated economic development.

LOCATION
The Summer School takes place in the centre of Rome, at the Istituto Luigi Sturzo, Via delle Coppelle 35, near the Pantheon and Navona Square.

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE
The Summer School is addressed both to practitioners (bankers, lawyers, economic advisors, members of NGOs…) and to students and researchers in Economics, Law, Finance, International and Political Studies.

LANGUAGE
All the lessons and the discussion panel are held in English. No translation service is provided.

CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE
All the participants will receive a certificate of attendance issued by CEIS – Tor Vergata. Under demand, the Summer School will also provide students with 3 ECTS, after a 10 page paper is submitted.

PROGRAMME

The Summer School offers a comprehensive investigation of Islamic economics and law related to the financial sector, with peculiar attention to the emergence of an economic and legal pluralism in Europe.

The programme covers two full-time days of face-to-face teaching. The first day focuses on the economics of Islamic Finance, with the contribution of the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) – Islamic Development Bank. The second concentrates on aspects of legal pluralism and current evolution of Islamic Finance in Europe: in this context, the Summer School is enriched by the participation of ASSAIF, ERM Academy and by a discussion panel with Norton Rose Group as a leading international legal practice in the sector.

Thursday, 30th June
ECONOMIC REFORM, ISLAMIC ECONOMICS AND THE EU

09.30 REGISTRATION

09.50 – 10:00 Opening Remarks
10.00 – 10.45 Future economic reform of Arab countries after the call for democracy: a focus on Egypt (Adel A. Beshai)
10.45 – 11.30 Financial stability and economic reform: an Islamic perspective (Salman Syed Ali
11.30 – 11.45 COFFEE BREAK
11.45 – 12.30 Fundamentals of Islamic economics (Ridha Saadallah)
12.30 – 13.15 An overview on Islamic finance in the EU: from Islamic banking to takāful and sukūk (Massimo Papa)
13.15 – 14.15 LUNCH
14.15 – 15.00 The economic impact of Islamic finance and the EU (Laurent Weill)
15.00 – 15.45 Islamic banking risk profile and prudential regulation (Claudio Porzio)
15.45 – 16.00 COFFEE BREAK
16.45 – 17.00 Women empowerment in Arab countries (Deborah Scolart)

Friday, 1st July
LEGAL PLURALISM AND ISLAMIC FINANCE IN EUROPE

10.00 – 10.45 Law as a kite: navigating legal pluralism (Werner F. Menski)
11.00 – 12.00 From the idea of haqq to Islamic contract law (Valentino Cattelan)
11.30 – 11.45 COFFEE BREAK
14.00 – 14.45 Islamic financial operations in the UK (Jonathan G. Ercanbrack)
12.30 – 13.15 Managing Islamic finance vis-à-vis laïcité: the case of France (Ibrahim-Zeyyad Cekici)
13.15 – 14.15 LUNCH
14.15 – 15.00 Islamic capital markets: trends and evolution (Michael Mahlknecht)
15.00 – 15.45 Europe and sovereign bonds: the opportunities of the sukūk market (Alberto Brugnoni)
15.45 – 16.00 COFFEE BREAK
16.00 – 17.30 DISCUSSION PANEL: Structuring Sharī‘ah-compliant legal transactions: the experience of Norton Rose, a leading international legal practice (Farmida Bi, Federica Periale, Francesca Staffieri)
17.30 – 18.00 Greetings and remise des diplômes

TEACHING STAFF

Adel A. Beshai – Professor, The American University in Cairo
Salman Syed Ali – Senior Economist, IRTI – IDB
Ridha Saadallah – Professor, University FSEG Sfax
Massimo Papa – Professor, University of Rome Tor Vergata
Laurent Weill – University of Strasbourg
Claudio Porzio – University Parthenope
Deborah Scolart – Researcher, University of Rome Tor Vergata
Werner F. Menski – Professor, SOAS, University of London
Valentino Cattelan – Research Fellow, University of Rome Tor Vergata
Ibrahim-Zeyyad Cekici – Research Fellow, University of Strasbourg
Michael Mahlknecht – Board Member, ERM Academy
Alberto Brugnoni – President, ASSAIF, Milan
Farmida Bi – Partner, Norton Rose LLP, London
Federica Periale – Associate, Norton Rose Studio Legale, Milan
Francesca Staffieri – Associate, Norton Rose Studio Legale, Rome