Socially Responsible Investing is no new concept. With origins in the 1700s – being aware of the way your community invests its funds and in what the monies support, has for 300 years been a growing and evermore crucial aspect of societal development.  It is indeed Ethical transparency which forced the development of the Islamic finance sector – a flourishing market which has grown exponentially over the last 20 years.

In fact socially responsible business and Islamic Finance markets are the two fastest growing areas in finance today.

However questions remain unanswered – do current Islamic Finance practices meet the intention and ethical standards of Islam, and how can Impact Investment align the Islamic financial sphere further with Islamic stakeholder’s aspirations for positive societal development?

Sharing core values such as a commitment to social welfare, care for the environment and a concern for economic and social justice – Impact Investment and Islamic Finance have a synergy which has till this point been widely untapped.

As the next generation demand more extensive change in the way our leaders invest, with a focus on green projects and community enabling support, now is the time for the Muslim world to engage with global stakeholders to explore intent, opportunity, outreach, and the legacy of Islamic Impact investment.

Bringing regulators, financiers, development finance institutions, and policy makers together for one annual global Islamic Impact Investment Forum, the GIIIF hopes to provide a platform for discussion and action which can truly influence sustainable development of frontier and emerging markets.

Sources: Umar F Moghul A Socially Responsible Islamic Finance – Character and the Common Good, Global Islamic Finance Market 2019 Industry Research Report, Islamic Finance and Impact Investing – IICPSD/UNDP