Recently, I had the pleasure of being invited to speak in Shanghai. The topic: Blockchain and its potential in Islamic finance.
I was a graduate of the International Islamic University here in Malaysia. I studied my bachelor's degree in law and a postgraduate diploma in Sharia law. So I was glad to be invited to speak on the topic.
The China-UAE Conference, also known as CUCIBF III, was held in the Grand Kempinski Hotel in Shanghai. It was jointly organized by a number of bodies from China and UAE, including the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Smart University (HBMSU), the China Islamic Finance Club, the UAE Ministry of Economy, Dubai Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Economy Development Center, and others.
It opened my eyes to the fact that Islamic Finance is a $2.4 trillion industry. And halal industry is $2.5 trillion in value. Every year.
I was privileged to listen to knowledgeable speakers on the potential of Blockchain in Sukuk (Islamic bonds), China's One Belt One Road, and Smart Cities. In addition, there were presentations on the role of Islamic finance in Private Public Partnerships, business education, and responsible and universal banking.
Here was the welcoming team. They greeted all the guests at the hotel entrance and made us feel at home.
Here I am with Dr Ali Wang, the co-founder of China Islamic Finance Club. With us are Dr Sofiza Azmi and Dr Ali's son.
I had met Dr Sofiza some years back, at another conference. What a pleasure it was to see her again.
Here I am with Dr Yahia, who wrote "The Art of Islamic Finance and Banking". He owns a community bank that practices RF Banking. Depending on who you are, RF stands for Riba Free (Muslims), Ribit Free (Jews), or Responsible Finance (everybody else).
He was a very nice man. Very fatherly.
Here I am with Prof Nabil Baydoun. I owe the opportunity to him. I'm grateful that he contacted me. He is the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at HBMSU.
I managed to get a shot with Dr Mansoor Al Awar, the chancellor at HBMSU. He joked that he could be considered the CCO ... Chief Celebrity Officer. That made me smile!
I also took a shot with Mr Chen Lei, the founder of Xunlei Blockchain. It's one of the biggest Blockchain companies in China.
Ms Huang Lei is the CEO and founder of the China Islamic Finance Club. I was told that she's among the 100 most influential women in Islamic Finance. Wow.
Here I am with none other than the backdrop for the registration counter.
I met Mr Khalid Howladar, the Chief Strategy and Risk Officer for Blossom Finance. They're putting Sukuk on the Blockchain.
Here I am. Delivering my presentation.
Ing. Alberto Germani is the Technical Director of PMF, which focuses on project management and finance. I enjoyed listening to his talk on PPP financing.
He's very experienced in building railways.
Some of the fellow presenters invited me to join them for dinner on the first day of the conference. It was my first time to try Turkish food.
Here we are in the Turkish restaurant called Efes Restaurant. With me are Hani Abbas, Ahmed Heikal, and Omar Al Ansari.
Hani and Ahmed are from the Dubai Islamic Bank. Whereas Omar is from the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Center.
Great ambiance. Great food. Great company.
The next night, I went out with some of the presenters again. Here I am with Hani, Ahmed, Dr Yahia, Dr June, Prof Fauziah, and Yaxin.
Yaxin is a PhD student from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Prof Fauziah is her supervisor, and the Dean of the School of Management.
Ahmed is really tall! Either that, or I'm short...
The Oriental Pearl Tower looks really lovely in the night sky.
I took a walk along the river, and came across this nice bridge.
A nice couple helped me take this photo.
They also helped me with this one.
I'll post more photos in the future if there is time.
The trip was probably the highlight of my year. I'll remember it in the years to come. It was a nice experience for me.
If I forget, or lose my memory, at least I have a memory aid... Steemit will store this blog post on the Blockchain.
Sweet memories live on the Blockchain.