Sheikh Dr. Mufti Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani, son of Justice (Retd.) Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, graduated with specialisation in Islamic Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) from Jamia Darul-Uloom, Karachi, where he has been teaching Fiqh since 1990. He also holds an L.L.B and Ph.D. in Islamic Finance. He is a member of the administration board of Jamia DarulUloom, Karachi.
Presently Dr. Imran Usmani is the Group Head and Vice Chairman of Shariah Supervisory Board at Meezan Bank Ltd and is responsible for Research and Product Development of Islamic Banking products, advisory for Sharia-compliant banking and supervision of Sharia Audit & Compliance.
He is also the President and CEO of Usmani & Co. Pvt. Ltd that provides a full suite of Islamic Finance consultancy, Shariah advisory and related ancillary services to local and international clients across all legal jurisdictions and financial & non-financial sectors.
Dr. Imran Usmani has been involved with the Government of Pakistan in various initiatives and is also a member of the Steering Committee and Implementation Committee for promotion of Islamic Banking since 2013.
Dr. Imran Usmani has served as an advisor/ member of Sharia Boards of several renowned institutions in various jurisdictions since 1997 including the State Bank of Pakistan, Takaful Pakistan Ltd., Pakistan Mercantile Association, ICFAL–Australia, The Zeal–Canada and USA, Astana International Financial Centre -Kazakhstan, HSBC– Amãnah Finance, UBS-Switzerland, Guidance Financial Group USA, Lloyds TSB Bank -UK, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JABIC), Credit Suisse Switzerland, Royal Bank of Scotland Global, Old Mutual Albarakah Equity & Balanced Funds South Africa, AIG Takaful, ACR ReTakaful Malaysia, Premier Takaful Pakistan, Capitas Group USA, Bank of London and Middle East Kuwait, BMI Bank Bahrain, Al Khaliji Bank Qatar, Sarasin Bank Switzerland, AIFA-Amãna Islamic Finance Australia, DCD Group Dubai, Nafa Mutual Fund, Acumen Fund, Swip Sicave Fund, Old Mutual AlBarakah fund and other mutual and property funds, Takaful companies and international Sukuk, etc.
He also served as an Executive Committee Member of AAOIFI (Dubai), Sharia Supervisory Board of International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) Bahrain and Chairman of Academic Board at International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF)-Malaysia, Institute of Business Administration (IBA)-Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (CEIF), Karachi and Director at Centre for Islamic Economics (CIE), Hira Foundation School and Hira Institute of Emerging Sciences, Karachi.
Dr. Usmani is the author of numerous publications related to Islamic Finance and other Sharia related subjects. He has presented papers in numerous national and international seminars and has delivered lectures at academic institutions including Harvard, LSE, LUMS and IBA.
He also has special interest in Entrepreneurship, Eco-system, Sustainable Development investments and works for different green projects.
Ash-Sheikh Mohd. Nazri Chik is the Group Chief Financial Inclusion Officer of Bank Islam Malaysia. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sharia from University of Malaya, Certified Sharia Adviser and Auditor (CSAA-AAOIFI), Certified Sharia Advisor (CSA-ASAS), Certified Professional Sharia Auditor (CPSA-IBFIM) and Certificate in Internal Auditing for Financial Institutions (CIAFIN-AICB).
He started his career as a tutor in University of Malaya until he joined Bank Islam in June 2004. He left the Bank to join Noor Investment Group, Dubai in September 2009 as its Sharia Audit Manager. During this time, he had been appointed as a member of Bank Islam’s Sharia Supervisory Council. He re-joined the Bank to lead the Shariah Division in January 2011, a role he had continued until December 2019.
He is a Corporate Member of Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia and he has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Terengganu Incorporated, the investment arm of Terengganu state government, Malaysia.
He is also a Registered Sharia Adviser with the Securities Commission Malaysia, Chairman of the Sharia Committee of TEKUN Nasional, the federal government owned micro finance company of Malaysia and a Sharia Advisor to several organisations including Malaysia Professional Accountancy Centre (MyPAC), Kelantan State Economic Development Corporation, BIMB Holdings Group Staff Cooperative Limited, etc.
He is the Deputy President of Association of Sharia Advisors Malaysia (ASAS), Distinguished Trainer for Islamic Banking and Finance Institute of Malaysia (IBFIM), and an academic advisor to various Islamic Finance programmes offered by universities in Malaysia.
Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe is the President of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), which is the supreme body of Islamic Theologians in Sri Lanka.
Mufti Rizwe is a prominent Islamic Religious Scholar, philanthropist and a specialist in fields of Islamic Jurisprudence and Islamic Finance. The following are some areas in which his contributions have been made:
Economy - Mufti Rizwe has contributed immensely to the world of Islamic Finance especially in Sri Lanka, as he is one of the founders of the concept of Islamic Banking in the conventional banking industry in Sri Lanka.
Religious Education - He has initiated several contributions that have greatly benefited the community at large, such as a Preliminary Religious Education System which provides fundamental religious knowledge to children.
Counseling - Careline Counseling Services, another initiative by Mufti Rizwe, which strives to assist the community especially the women, by providing counselling services and premarital workshops.
Skills Development – Identifying the need of grooming and developing skills of students of Religious studies, Mahmoud Institute for Skill Development of Religious Scholars was founded by Mufti Rizwe which focuses on providing skill development for religious scholars in Sri Lanka.
Social Services – ‘Masjid Based Social Services’ is another significant concept developed by Mufti Rizwe, which focuses on social needs and provides assistance in possible forms irrespective of racial or religious differences, especially during the periods of adversity.
Unity and Coexistence - It is significant to note that Mufti Rizwe is one of the most important personalities of Sri Lanka renowned for his advocacy for unity within the community and for peaceful coexistence among the ethnicities.
Ash-Sheikh Mufti Muhammad Hassaan Kaleem is a renowned figure in the field of Islamic Finance. He is considered as one of the most revered Sharia Scholar in the Islamic Finance Industry, who sits on the Sharia Advisory Boards of numerous financial institutions, Islamic Investment Funds and Takaful Companies, including Al-Ameen UBL Funds, Adamjee Takaful, State Life-Window Takaful Operations, Pak Qatar Family Takaful Ltd- Pakistan, Hanover Re Takaful-Bahrain, and Takaful Emirate-UAE etc.
In addition, Mufti Hassaan is a Sharia Consultant of Deloitte (Global Islamic Finance Team), Trainer of Sharia Standards, a Member of Subcommittee of Sharia Standards at AAOIFI- Bahrain, visiting faculty member of National Institute of Banking and Finance (State Bank of Pakistan) and Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (CEIF)-IBA and a permanent faculty member of Centre for Islamic Economics Karachi. Furthermore, he was the former Sharia Advisor of Bank Al Baraka and Chairman Sharia Board of SECP.
Mufti Hassaan holds vast experience of teaching various Islamic Subjects at the Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi for approximately the past 20 years.
He also works as Member-Shari’ah Board of Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Ltd. He is a frequent trainer and expert in simplifying complex issues related to Islamic Finance. He has delivered lectures and presentations in many Islamic Finance conferences and seminars in Pakistan and around the world.
Mr. Osman Kassim is a renowned and highly respected entrepreneur in Sri Lanka. He is regarded as the pioneer of Islamic finance in Sri Lanka for having introduced Islamic banking and insurance and counts over 40 years of senior management experience in these fields.
He was the Founder Chairman of Amãna Bank PLC, Sri Lanka’s first and only licensed commercial bank to conduct all its operations under the principles of Islamic banking. He has travelled extensively and is fully conversant with Islamic banking practice and methodology in most countries, where Islamic banking is available.
Mr. Osman Kassim was formerly the Chairman of the Expolanka Group. He is also the Chairman of Vidullanka PLC, Aberdeen Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Al-Hassan Foundation and Rokfam (Pvt) Ltd. He concurrently holds directorship in Amãna Takaful Life PLC and Amãna Takaful (Maldives) PLC.
Mr. Osman Kassim is the Nominee Director appointed to the Board of the Maldives Islamic Bank PLC., representing Amãna Takaful (Maldives) PLC. Mr. Osman Kassim previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Maldives Islamic Bank PLC from 2017 until July 2020.
In recognition of his achievements as a global entrepreneur and visionary educationalist, Mr. Osman Kassim was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Staffordshire University, United Kingdom.
The LMD Magazine, a leading business magazine in Sri Lanka also recognized Mr. Osman Kassim among the ‘A-List of the Captains of Business’ at the dawn of this decade, in recognition of his services for the nation’s growth.
