Bank Nizwa, the first Islamic bank of Oman, is set to host its inaugural ‘Islamic Banking Knowledge Forum’ on May 1.

Key thinkers and strategists from many of the Sultanate's public and private sector businesses and corporations will attend the conference being held at the Shangri La Barr al Jissah where they will discuss the integral part Islamic finance and banking plays in the country’s economic past and its future growth.

The forum will feature some of the most influential and learned specialists in the area of Islamic Finance who will conduct interactive sessions with participants on Islamic banking and its role in business in Oman.

They will discuss the impact of Islamic finance on Oman’s economy, address the challenges it faces and work out solutions to these challenges.

Speaking about the forum, CEO Dr Jamil El Jaroudi said: "Bank Nizwa is made up of a team of people who are passionate about Islamic finance and its place in our Omani society. Now, into our second year of operations we can see how important Islamic banking is becoming in the oldest independent state in the Arab world."

"Our mission is to make Islamic banking more visible, to engage with people and empower them with the knowledge and understanding of Islamic finance so that they can understand the tremendous benefits it brings," he added.

Apart from Dr El Jaroudi, the speakers list includes; Dr. Sayd Farook, the global head Islamic Capital Markets (Middle East and Africa) for Thomson Reuters (as moderator), Dr Khalid Al Fakih (secretary general of AAOIFI), Najmul Hassan (director of Remedial Asset Management unit of Islamic Corporate for the Development of the private Sector ICD).-TradeArabia News Service