London, United Kingdom: –The Responsible Finance & Investment Foundation and Swiss Arab Network are excited to provide an updated programme for the RFI Summit 2019, which will be held at Abu Dhabi Global Market on 29 April 2019. The RFI Summit will combine expert insights, real-world case studies, and participant input to discuss whether sustainable, responsible & Islamic finance can deliver more impact together.
The RFI Summit begins with a panel discussion featuring financial industry participants working to support a transition towards a low-carbon economy. Speakers will highlight the risks associated with financing unsustainable activities, as well as opportunities where financial institutions who focus on enabling the solutions can build a competitive advantage relative to their peers. Building on the panel discussion, the Summit will feature case studies from across banking, asset management and capital markets, including:
- Expanded linkages between positive impact finance and Islamic finance, presented by Société Générale;
- Prudent Ethical Investment developed by SEDCO Capital, which combines Shari’ah compliance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) screening for improved financial outcomes; and,
- A pioneering social impact sukuk being issued by the International Federation for Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Islamic Development Bank.
The programme includes an opportunity to recognise the winners of the Support Disruption for Good Challenge, sponsored by DDCAP Group. The SDG Challenge identified three FinTech companies whose products demonstrate market traction and whose technology helps the financial sector to increase the scope and impact of its responsible finance activities.
Three winners of the SDG Challenge will receive their awards and the organiser will announce the highest scoring winner who will receive a cash prize and a fast-track opportunity with the Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) Accelerator. All three winners will present their companies and how they are using the power of technology to improve capabilities within responsible finance.
The RFI Summit will be interactive and concludes after an ‘unconference’ session that will give participants the opportunity to weigh in on the future of responsible finance. During this final session, those present will discuss outcomes from the Summit as well as presenting recommendations from the pre-Summit roundtable on Strategic Philanthropy and Islamic Finance. These will be discussed to create the final recommendations of the RFI Summit 2019 to create “A New SRI” that brings together sustainable finance, responsible finance and Islamic finance to deliver more impact together.
Blake Goud, CEO of RFI Foundation commented: “The RFI Summit is designed to be interactive, and participant engagement is extremely important to create actionable outcomes. In line with this year’s theme, we will focus the Summit conclusions on creating “A New SRI” using all the tools that the finance sector has to work with including investing, financing, and philanthropy.”
Mounir Khouzami, Executive Board Member, Chairman of the Advisory Board and Co-Founder of Swiss Arab Network added: “Through open discussion, we can connect the insights from panel discussions, case studies and participants’ input into actionable conclusions. Together with the RFI Foundation, the Swiss Arab Network looks forward to kicking off a year of action after the Summit concludes.”
For more information about the RFI Summit, and to register, please visit www.rfisummit.org
-Ends-
About the Responsible Finance & Investment Summit 2019
The RFI Summit will be held at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a broad-based international financial centre for local, regional and international institutions, on 29 April 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The RFI Summit 2019 will bring together key stakeholders within responsible finance to build connections to new growth opportunities and more measurable impact. It plays a vital role in connecting representatives from across the global responsible finance industry to build on the growing cooperation between SRI, ESG and Islamic finance. Now in its fourth year, the RFI Summit is an initiative of the RFI Foundation and Swiss Arab Network to build awareness of shared values that can bring socially responsible investing (SRI), environmental, social and governance (ESG) and Islamic finance together to increase their positive impact.
About RFI Foundation
The RFI Foundation is a non-profit organisation with a mission to identify a neutral, nonpartisan and universal value proposition that encourages convergence of responsible finance practices. RFI evolves Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing (SRI), Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and the Islamic finance sectors towards a convergence of their shared standards, and engages stakeholders to build the responsible finance industry as a catalyst to support equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic development. Visit us at www.rfi-foundation.org
About Swiss Arab Network
The Swiss Arab Network (SAN) is a non-profit networking organisation with headquarters in Zurich and affiliations in the Arab world that strives to bridge gaps, promote sustainable exchange and intensify the mutual understanding among Swiss and Arab people. SAN is a networking platform and organises events and gives speeches on topics like Swiss and Arab finance, business, culture, art and film. Established and high-profile organisations from Switzerland and the Arab world are members of the network. Visit us at www.swissarab.org
Media Contacts
- Blake Goud, Chief Executive Officer, RFI Foundation:
blake.goud@rfi-foundation.org , www.rfi-foundation.org - Mounir Khouzami, Executive Board Member, Chairman of the Advisory Board and Co-Founder of Swiss Arab Network:
mounir.khouzami@swissarab.org , www.swissarab.org
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
