Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia”) and CGS-CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd (“CGS-CIMB”) today successfully launched the inaugural Shariah Investing Virtual Conference 2020 (“SIVC 2020”). The CPE accredited conference attracted over 1,300 participants comprising retail and institutional investors. Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Chairman of Bursa Malaysia, was the keynote speaker at SIVC 2020. 

Themed “Shariah Investing and Socially Responsible Investing: Meeting at the Midway”, the conference aimed to provide a platform for renowned Shariah scholars, experts and leaders of the industry to share thought leadership on Shariah investing. Through a series of engaging panel sessions, participants explored how Shariah and socially responsible investing are closely interlinked and how institutions and asset managers can play a more significant role towards the achievement of Maqasid Shariah. 

Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia said, “SIVC 2020 is an effective platform to express Bursa Malaysia’s unique proposition in the Islamic capital market space to global investors. In today’s environment, where change and uncertainty seem to be the only constant, investors are taking a long-term view and choosing responsible investments. There are undoubtedly benefits to be gained by integrating value-based with a focus on ESG, and we invite investors to explore the opportunities of Shariah investing through Bursa Malaysia-i.”  

Ruzi Rani Ajith, Chief Executive Officer of CGS-CIMB said, “Moving forward, we wish to collaborate more with Bursa Malaysia to look into more initiatives on the expansion of the Islamic broking horizon. It is our duty to continuously expand the dimension of Shariah investing and socially responsible investing which will contribute towards overall financial stability and economic prosperity in the interest of the local and global community.”

Notable conversationalists at SIVC 2020 include:  

1. Prof Dr Ashraf Md Hashim (Chairman, Shariah Committee of Bursa Malaysia), Datuk Dr Daud Bakar (Chairman, Amanie Group), Dr Aznan Hasan (Associate Professor, Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance), Noraizat Shik Ahmad (GM, Islamic Capital Market Development, Securities Commission Malaysia) who provided the audience with the core principles and concept of Shariah investing and what it offers to socially responsible investors. 
2. Dr Mohamed Eskandar Shah (Financial Sector Specialist Consultant, World Bank), Mohammad Damshal Awang Damit (CIO, Lembaga Tabung Haji), Mustafa Adil (Head of Islamic Finance, Refinitiv) and Helena Fung (Head of Sustainable Investment, Asia Pacific, FTSE Russell) shared the latest developments, trends and insights on the global Islamic equity markets and how ESG complements each other. 
3. Dato’ Majid Mohammad (Chairman, Etiqa Family Takaful Berhad), Munirah Khairuddin (CEO, Principal Asset Management), Najmuddin Mohd Lutfi (CEO, BIMB Investment), Rohaya Mohammad Yusof (CIO, Employees Provident Fund) and Mohd Izzat Fadhli (Country Director, Wahed Inc) introduced the audience with the multi-facets of Shariah investing and its potentials.

At SIVC 2020, CGS-CIMB also launched “Demi Barakah”, a Shariah financial literacy campaign aimed at educating the public on the many benefits of Shariah investing. The campaign is currently carried out at the CGS-CIMB Islamic Facebook page called ‘iTradeIslamic’. 

Event Photos

Photo 1: From left: Bursa Malaysia Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Astro Awani's Lead Business Editor and Executive Producer Ibrahim Sani and Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift

Photo 2: During the SIVC 2020 held today at Bursa Malaysia, its Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar said Bursa Malaysia will continue to develop the Islamic capital market through continued product innovation and strengthening of the ecosystem to add further depth in its Shariah-compliant product and service offerings. 

Photo 3: Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift said during SIVC 2020 hosted by Bursa Malaysia and CGS-CIMB Securities, that the Shariah market capitalisation on the Exchange makes up 70% of the total market capitalisation of RM1.6 trillion.