The World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC), billed as the world's largest and most influential international gathering of Islamic finance industry leaders, opens in Bahrain today (December 1).

This year marks the event's 21st anniversary and more than 1,300 delegates from over 50 countries are expected to attend, including 90 specialist speakers and industry thought leaders, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The WIBC has supported growth, excellence and innovation in the global Islamic banking and finance industry for more than two decades.

WIBC 2014 will celebrate the tremendous growth of Islamic finance and revisit critical success factors that will enable the industry to fulfil its potential with an ever-growing base of investors and customers.

The conference is held with the support of the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Economic Development Board (EDB).

EDB chief economist Dr Jarmo Kotilaine will be taking part as a specialist speaker in a panel discussion entitled "Expanding the Global Reach and Depth of Islamic Finance" later today.

The EDB has also invited a number of international journalists from around the world to attend WIBC 2014 and to showcase Bahrain's role as a global centre for Islamic finance.

Journalists from the UK, Germany, India, Malaysia, China and from across the Middle East region will be in attendance.

"We are exceptionally proud that Bahrain will again host the WIBC, as we have done every year since the first event 21 years ago," Transportation Minister and EDB acting chief executive Kamal Ahmed said.

"Bahrain has the highest concentration of Islamic finance institutions found anywhere in the world and is a knowledge hub for the industry, a position built on our strong regulation and the most highly skilled workforce in the region.

"The country is poised to play a crucial role driving forward Islamic finance policy and regulation," he added. - TradeArabia News Service