MANAMA: The 3rd Islamic Finance Innovation Day (IFID) Forum announced Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) as the Exclusive Banking Partner. Taking place in the Kingdom of Bahrain on 27th February 2022 at the Gulf Hotel as a hybrid event, the Forum is being held under the Patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and is set to gather a high level group of financial sector, Fintech, regulatory and legal experts to examine “How Fintech Innovation is Transforming the Investment Industry”.

HE Rasheed Al Maraj, Governor of the CBB, will open the Forum and with a dynamic programme to follow. Mr. Hassan Jarrar, CEO of BisB, will begin with a keynote address on the “Next Phase of Digital Innovation” followed by a presentation from Mr. Anour Adham, Co-Founder and CEO of CrowdToLive®, a FCA regulated Fintech offering real estate equity funding, and a Partner of the IFID 2022 Forum, who will talk about “Fintech Innovation in Real Estate Investing.”

The programme will also feature two high-level panel discussions with experts addressing how new cutting-edge digital solutions are revolutionizing the investment industry and the resulting challenges and opportunities. The first panel will focus on the Forum’s theme “How Fintech Innovation is Transforming the Investment Industry,” with participation from Ms. Yasmeen Al-Sharaf, Director, Fintech & Innovation Unit at the CBB, Ms. Maisa Shunnar, Group Chief Digital Transformation, BisB, and Mr. Anour Adham, Co-Founder and CEO of CrowdToLive®, The discussion will be moderated by Ms. Vineeta Tan, Managing Editor and a Director at REDmoney Group, the Forum’s Media Partner.

The second panel will look at “Fintech Innovation and Ecosystem and its Legal Developments,” with participation from Ms. Yasmeen Al-Saffar, Head of Financial Services, Bahrain Economic Development Board, Mr. Roberto Mancone, CEO and Executive Board Member, BEYON Money and Mr. Mohamed Toorani, Partner and Head of Bahrain office, DLA Piper. The discussion will be moderated by Mr. Kal Subramanian, Head of Markets, KPMG (Bahrain).

Commenting on BisB’s partnership, Mr. Hassan Jarrar said, “We are delighted to support IFID as an Exclusive Banking Partner as we are firm believers at BisB in the importance of these forums to promote the active exchange of knowledge in order to further encourage digital innovation in the sector on par with global standards. As the first Islamic Bank to have been established in the Kingdom of Bahrain, we have contributed to pioneering the Islamic finance industry, embedding

innovation at the core of our strategy thereby paving the way for the industry’s digital transformation, pushing the boundaries with our adoption of advanced technologies to enhance the customer experience and elevate the standards of banking in the Kingdom. We are pleased to join leading industry experts to discuss potential opportunities of adopting exciting new Fintech solutions in line with our promise of simplifying money matters and continually enhancing the customer journey.”

Ms. Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the Forum’s organizer, added, “We are very pleased to welcome BisB as our Exclusive Banking Partner for the event. The bank is a leader and supporter of Fintech innovation and its participation will add value and insight into how banks are adapting to and driving innovation and change to make banking and investment more seamless and efficient for customers and investors.”