The Islamic Finance Council UK (UKIFC) saw off competition from over 200 organisations from across the globe to win the $100,000 Industry Development Award at the Ethical Finance Challenge and Innovation Award (EFICA) in Dubai. The prize was presented by keynote speaker and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr Muhammed Yunus.
The award was recognition of the UKIFC’s work in establishing a programme of ethical finance events bringing together a range of stakeholders which now forms the UK’s leading discussion platform seeking to promote a fairer and more socially responsible financial system.
watch the video of the finalist
The UKIFC and fellow finalists, Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Bank Negara Malaysia backed ISRA, each delivered a 10 minute pitch to the 350 guests at the EFICA Gala Dinner who then voted for the winner.
UKIFC Advisory Board member and co-founder Graham Burnside commented: “It is tremendously exciting for us to have won this major award in the face of competition from much larger organisations based in the heartlands of Islamic finance and a very gratifying recognition of our work in bringing together the diverse strands of the ethical finance arena. The prize will make a genuine difference to what the UKIFC is able to achieve.”
EFICA was launched in 2013 by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Thomson Reuters with the aim of inspiring and recognising fresh ways of thinking and promoting the most dynamic actionable solutions that advance ethics in the world’s financial services.
“Our winners are the future of the finance industry and thought leaders for a world in which working for profit and working for social good can and should be one and the same. Those recognised at these third annual EFICA awards have not only shown this to be true, they have taken bold new steps in expanding the possibilities of ethical finance,” said ADIB CEO Tirad Al Mahmoud.
The UKIFC’s success has been recognised by the Scottish Government:
“Ethical finance is an area where Scotland has a real opportunity to make an impact and success at EFICA has raised the profile of the ethical finance sector here in Scotland as well as raising Scotland’s profile internationally,” commented John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth.
The other prizewinners on the evening were crowdfunding platform Narwi and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who received the lifetime achievement award.
[Oct2015]
For more information contact:
Chris Tait – chris@ukifc.com
Media coverage:
http://finance.salaamgateway.com/en/finance/story/SALAAM04102015194010
http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/13836028.Islamic_Finance_Council_wins__100_000_award/?ref=rss
