Shariah-Compliance

Sheikh Mohamed is a Shariah scholar and Islamic finance powerhouse. He has extensive experience with more than 20 outstanding years in the space. He has advised and actively participated in globally recognized institutions such as Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates Islamic, Emirates NBD Asset Management and Alinma Bank. Sheikh Mohamed possesses a deep understanding of financial analysis, credit, risk and jurisprudence of financial transactions and Shariah rulings. Sheikh Mohamed is a Shariah board member at several traditional and and FinTech companies. He has a strong track record in developing banking and capital market products ranging from Asset Management, Investment, Sukuk, Digital Banking, Corporate and Retail Banking, Treasury, SME, Takaful and Trade in terms of developing innovative structures, drafting documentation as well as providing business consultations involving all Islamic products and services, in addition to providing specialized professional Islamic Finance courses to Financial institutions. Mohamed holds an MBA in Islamic Finance Products and a higher diploma in Islamic studies. He is an Islamic finance PHD researcher, a Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (CSAA), and an Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA) as recognized by AAOFI.

Sheikh Beyanouni is a global Shariah scholar and a leading expert in Blockchain and Shariah-compliant cryptocurrencies. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh and Usul Al Fiqh), and is regularly published by top Islamic Finance media. Sheikh Beyanouni has more than 15 years’ experience in Shariah consultancy and Islamic finance, and over 10 years combined traction in Treasury, blockchain and decentralized products. He is currently a Shariah board member for several financial and FinTech companies.

Sheikh Al-Enezi is a Shariah scholar and Islamic finance professor. Dr. Al-Enezi is a faculty member of Shariah and Islamic Studies at the University of Kuwait. He holds a PhD in Islamic Jurisprudence from the University of Jordan and a Master’s degree in Islamic Law from the University of Kuwait. Dr. Al-Enezi is a member of several prominent Shariah Boards, including the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOFI), Bahrain Islamic Bank, Dar Al-Istithmar, Warba and Boubyan Banks. Dr. Al-Enezi is a regular speaker in conferences and seminars focusing on Islamic finance and jurisprudence. He has also published several papers on topics related to Islamic banking and finance.

With over 45 years of banking experience, Dr. Sheikh Zoeir is a Shariah scholar and Islamic finance professor, working with Dubai Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank, AlSalam Bank Group, Amlak Finance and Aman Insurance. Dr. Zoeir acquired extensive experience in the Islamic finance industry through working with globally recognized institutions, and as a member of Fatwa and Shariah Supervisory Boards of various leading Islamic finance institutions and Islamic banks in the GCC and the wider MENA region. He has published numerous research papers on Islamic finance including “Role of Shariah Supervision in Developing Islamic Banking”, “Relationship between Shariah and Financial Supervision”, “Islamic Banks and Traditional Banks (comparative study)”, “Monotheism as the Base of Economic Activity” and “Islamic Banks, Theory and Practice”. Dr. Zoeir was a lecturer at the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies and other prominent UAE universities. He holds a Doctorate in Islamic Economics, a Masters Degree and a Diploma in Islamic Studies. Dr. Zoeir is considered a global expert in modern Islamic finance and as one of the founders of the Islamic Banking and Finance industry around the globe.

Sheikh Yaquby is an internationally renowned Shariah scholar who serves on over 40 Shariah Advisory Boards including Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas, Al Rayan Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, S&P Dow Jones, Lloyds Bank and is Chairman of AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Institutions). Sheikh Nizam Yaquby was named by Bloomberg as ‘The Gatekeeper’ of a $2 trillion market for Islamic financial products. An active lecturer, Sheikh Yaquby has been teaching Tafsir, Hadith, and Fiqh in Bahrain since 1976. He has recorded more than 500 lectures and lessons in both English and Arabic. He is also the Deputy Chairman of Shariah Committee of Alkhair International Islamic Bank Berhad. Sheikh Yaquby has contributed to various original research projects, and is hailed as one of the leading experts in modern Islamic Finance.

Holds several senior positions in top UAE corporations. Currently serving as Board Member of Select Group, Sawaeed Holding and Sawaeed Investment, Al Maryah Community Bank, Al Maryal Community Bank Audit Committee and other leading institutions in the country.

Arben Kane is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in technology. He has founded and led several successful companies, including Kontur Inc., a software engineering company that developed the DisasterAWARE platform; Ozolio, a live HD webcam streaming service; FlikMedia, a video application development company; and iRAPP/Code Rebel, the first Citrix for Mac Terminal Services solution with Fortune 100 clients. In addition to his work as a founder, Arben has served as CTO or Senior VP of Engineering for several companies, including EchoEcho, a location-mapping company. Arben is also a venture investor, serving as an angel, Operating Partner at Pegasus Capital, and Founder and General Partner of Stacked Venture Builder and Dreamit Capital. He holds a B.S. in Logistics from Berufsakademie Stuttgart and a B.S. in Computer Science from Fernfachhochschule Darmstadt, and has four US patents in interactive video viewing and media data processing. Arben is known for his advanced technical foundation and business acumen, which have helped him make a mark in industries such as map and data visualization, disaster management, data analysis, solution strategies, media distribution, and travel and hospitality. He is a tech visionary and startup expert, always seeking to challenge the limitations of the human condition. Arben's extensive experience in the blockchain space has led to numerous accomplishments. He has successfully raised significant funds for his blockchain ventures, and has built a strong reputation as a leader in the industry. He has also made successful investments in a variety of blockchain projects, and is always looking for new opportunities to grow and expand his knowledge and expertise in this exciting and rapidly-evolving field.

Ms. Pether has held senior management positions at Mubadala Investment Company and SkyBridge Capital. She acts as an advisor to various digital asset companies, including cryptocurrency exchange MidChains, Canadian digital asset manager 3iQ, and GameFi company Cheelee. Based in the Middle East since 2008, Rachel spent almost a decade at Mubadala in their Capital Markets & Treasury team. A CFA Charterholder and chartered treasurer, in 2014 the Association of Corporate Treasurers named Rachel “The One to Watch” in Treasury. Beginning her career as a journalist, Ms. Pether spent 5 years with the BBC, and currently hosts two shows produced by FintechTV – Digital Asset Report and TheIMPACT. She acts as MC for numerous international high-profile events such as SALT, the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute VIP Summit Series, and the AIM Summit. Passionate about helping others become more confident public speakers, Rachel is also the Co-Founder of “The Speakeasy Club”, an online training course for Public Speaking that empowers individuals to hone leadership-level speaking skills and build personal confidence. She is a member of Mensa and a published author.

Dr. Bechari holds many prominent posts, including Secretary General of the World Muslim Communities Council, President of the French National Federation of Muslims, as well as Secretary General of the Islamic European Conference, a Europe-wide umbrella organization that aims to represent Muslims at the European level. Bechari is also the founder of the Avicenna Institute in Lille and member of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) in Vienna, Austria.

Mr. Juma has held senior positions at DU Telecom, led ARJ Water Technology as Regional CEO and Emaar Group as its General Manager. A recognized global expert, Faris Ahmad Ramadhan Juma is a Board level executive, CEO, strategist, and astute business leader known for seizing opportunities and sustaining success amid shifting global conditions and economic crises with confidence.

Anish, is co-founder, Chief Scientist and CTO of Panther protocol, has 20+ years experience in security and cryptography. He has spent half his career researching cryptographic algorithms and protocols at three different research groups including Microsoft Research. Anish was an early advisor to Hyperloop, Ripple and Ocean protocol, he was an early member of the Ethereum Swarm team and was Ethereum Swarm Orange Paper Series reviewer. He was also the principal architect for Boson protocol.

Mr Rafferty is the Managing Director and founding partner of Xtellus Advisors, LLC, a New York-based private equity investment firm. For over 20 years he held various top management positions at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (a $600bn sovereign wealth fund), including Portfolio Strategist, Senior Fund Manager and a Member of the Global Equity Department’s Investment Committee. Most recently, Mr Rafferty served as ADIA’s Senior Advisor and Portfolio Strategist, overseeing a $50bn portfolio. While living in the UAE, he was an executive member of the American Chamber of Commerce, serving terms as Vice Chairman and Treasurer. Prior to moving to Abu Dhabi, he was a senior analyst at the Philadelphia Board of Pensions and Investments, received his BS Finance from Temple University and became a Chartered Financial Analyst in 1999.

Mr. Gigliotti began his financial career in 1989 as an analyst at Mutual Series Funds where he continued as a Senior member of the investment team led by acclaimed investor Michael Price. After building assets under management to over $17 billion, Mutual Series Funds Inc. was acquired by Franklin Templeton in 1996. Joining Goldman Sachs Asset Management in 1997 as a Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager he managed the value strategies team and over $7 billion on behalf of the firm’s institutional clients. In 2002 Mr. Gigliotti became one of the founding partners of Trilogy Global Advisors LLC and as a Sr. Portfolio Manager helped build a team that grew assets under management to over $16 billion in global equity strategies. Trilogy was sold to Affiliated Managers Group, Inc in 2010. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Founding Partner of Xtellus Advisors, LLC, a New York-based private equity investment firm. Gigliotti was awarded a B.A in Economics and International Relations from Connecticut College in 1988.

Mohammed AlKaff AlHashmi is a computer science engineer with more than 18 years of experience. With this accumulative experience he focuses on Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, Industrial automation, and IOTs. He started his career as an Intelligence Network Engineer at Huawei. Other than the technology part, he has vast experience in Business and management. He is a serial Entrepreneur who believes in projects that have a purpose and could bring value to the community, so he started MCPM Automation in the MENA region that provides cutting edge techs to support Manufacturing, Smart Cities, Energy, Sustainability and Environment. At present he is the CEO of MCPM MENA, MCPM Holding and UI Ventures, he is also partner and board member of CYNAX labs, Kaptive, and others, taking care of the business development, growth and strategy. As Artificial Intelligence became an important pillar of Health technologies and R & D, Eng. Mohammed is also partner and a board member of Quant7 fund that invests in research and development within the medical and health care sectors, and blue ocean unique companies like Cellvera and Prepaire as well as finds opportunities for mergers and acquisition. Having a futuristic approach and unique perspective about things, he always believes in giving back to the society through his knowledge and by creating success stories. He is passionate about bringing top class technologies for the development of the region and thrives on making the Earth a better place to live.

Hussein Mohammed Al Meeza is an acclaimed award-winning banker with over 45 years of experience spanning the Islamic banking, finance and insurance sectors. A founding member of Emaar properties, Amlak Finance, Emaar Industries & Investments, Emaar Financial services, Dubai Islamic Insurance & Reinsurance Company (AMAN), Nawat, he was named Best Islamic Banking Personality in 2006. His professional career began in 1975 at the Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), where he spent over 20 years developing the bank’s services, and still serves as Executive Director. As an emerging star of Islamic banking, he is the founder of Al Salam Banks in Sudan, Bahrain and Algeria, where he serves on various positions including Board Member, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee since 2015. He is also the Chairman of Al Salam Bank - Seychelles, Chairman of Top Enterprises L.L.C., Chairman of Lycée Francais Jean Mermoz L.L.C. Hussein Al Meeza excelled as CEO and Managing Director of Dubai Islamic Insurance and Reinsurance Company (AMAN), Chairman of LMC Bahrain, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Islamic Trading company in Bahrain, Board Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee in Amlak Finance Dubai and Chairman of Emaar Financial Services Dubai, Vice Chairman of Emirates Cooperative Society Dubai. He also served as Board Member of the General Council of Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions, Chairman of the Founding Committee of Islamic Insurance and Reinsurance Companies. He also held the position of Board Member of the Emirates Society for Insurance. Mr Al Meeza served as Chairman at Nawat Investments and Amity Health in Dubai, as well as Board Member of Al Salam Bank Bahrain and Chairman at Al Salam Bank Seychelles. Hussein Al Meeza is a graduate of the Beirut Arab University and holds an MBA degree from La Jolla University, USA.