Azzad participates in 11th Annual AAOIFI-World Bank conference on Islamic finance

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, November 7, 2016 — Representatives from Azzad Asset Management joined leading scholars and senior officials from central banks, financial institutions, and regulators for an annual gathering on Islamic finance hosted by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Organized in cooperation with the World Bank and under the auspices of the Central Bank of Bahrain, the two-day conference focused on ways to grow the Islamic finance industry in a post-oil economy. Islamic finance has expanded in recent years to represent approximately $2 trillion in assets, and AAOIFI has established itself as the leading standard-setting body for the industry. The organization has also enhanced cooperation with international multilateral institutions like the World Bank, which in 2013 inaugurated the Global Center for Islamic Finance in Istanbul, Turkey in a nod to the industry’s role as a driver of global development and growth. In addition to the theme of Islamic finance in a post-oil global economy, session topics also focused on agricultural finance, international political economy, and the emergence of a global Islamic finance gold standard. ABOUT AZZAD Azzad Asset Management, investment advisor to the Azzad Funds and sponsor of the Azzad Ethical Wrap Program, is committed to providing investment

November 7, 2016 No Comments

Azzad participates in World Bank Islamic finance event

Representatives from Azzad Asset Management, investment advisor to the Azzad Funds, joined senior officials from central banks, financial institutions, and regulators in Washington, DC for a symposium on Islamic finance organized by the World Bank and the Islamic Financial Services Board. Held in conjunction with the annual International Monetary Fund and World Bank governors meeting, the Oct. 6 event focused on ways to implement the 2016 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals using the tools of Islamic finance. The conference, titled “Islamic Finance and the Sustainable Development Goals,” brought together representatives from Turkey, Malaysian, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sudan, Zambia, Indonesia, and Malaysia to forge ahead on implementing a sustainable development agenda in the coming years. As Islamic finance has expanded in recent years to represent approximately $2 trillion in assets globally, policymakers have looked to Islamic finance as a means of advancing the humanitarian goals of financial inclusion, income equality, and educational opportunity. In 2015, the United Nations introduced the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs), which include 17 goals to help emerging markets develop in a socially conscious way. These goals extend beyond poverty alleviation to also include measures like good health, quality education, gender equality, infrastructure, economic growth, climate action and reduced inequalities, among

October 7, 2016 No Comments

Azzad participates in AAOIFI-World Bank conference on Islamic banking

MANAMA, Bahrain, Dec. 8, 2015 — A representative of Azzad Asset Management joined senior representatives from central banks, financial institutions, and regulators in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the annual Islamic banking and finance conference organized by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Held in conjunction with the World Bank and under the auspices of the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Dec. 6-7 event included talks on strategies to increase access to Islamic finance as well as the application of global standards in the sukuk (Islamic bond) industry. “With its focus on economic justice and inclusion, Islamic finance is a powerful force for good in the world,” said AAOIFI member and Azzad CEO Bashar Qasem, CSAA, who attended the conference. “And through its collaboration with multilateral institutions like the Washington, D.C.-based World Bank, AAOIFI continues to make strides toward the global application of its ethical guidelines and standards.” Mr. Qasem is one of the few Islamic finance professionals in the United States to have earned the Certified Shariah Adviser and Auditor (CSAA) accreditation from AAOIFI. Azzad is an outspoken advocate of the Seven Tenets of Halal Investing, which follow AAOIFI guidelines in screening out stocks of companies in unethical lines of business. In

December 8, 2015 No Comments

Azzad participates in AAOIFI-World Bank conference on Islamic finance

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, November 25, 2014 — Representatives from Azzad Asset Management joined leading scholars and senior representatives from central banks, financial institutions, and regulators from over 35 countries this month in the Kingdom of Bahrain for an annual conference on Islamic finance organized by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Organized in cooperation with the World Bank and under the auspices of the Central Bank of Bahrain, the conference focused on integrating Islamic finance into global reporting standards and its compatibility with the legal systems of non-Muslim majority countries, including those in the West. “As an AAOIFI member, I am pleased to attend this important gathering of practitioners and thought leaders,” said Azzad President and CEO Bashar Qasem, CSAA, who attended the conference. “And as the president of a company dedicated to the strict adherence of AAOIFI standards in the way we do business, we are supportive of their efforts to harmonize Islamic finance standards across borders and to promote greater transparency. Both are of critical importance to our industry.” Mr. Qasem is one of the few Islamic finance professionals in the United States to have earned the Certified Shariah Adviser and Auditor (CSAA) accreditation

November 25, 2014 No Comments