Insights / News
Insights / News
Outer Temple’s Dubai based barrister David Russell KC and Professional Associate Oliver Agha will be speaking at various IFN Forums, taking place in different cities from September to November 2025. For each Forum, an advisory board comprising the industry’s leading practitioners and regulators is assembled to offer advice and a holistic view of latest industry trends.
David Russell KC will be moderating a panel session by Sherif Hampton of SASLO and Sami Arfah Bait Rashid of Meethaq Islamic Banking on ‘A Focus on Endowment: The Potential for Waqf in Oman’ from 10:35am to 11:05am.
Oliver Agha will moderate a session by Hichem Bouqniss of International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation, Kemal Rizadi Arbi of Financial Services Authority and Jonathan Segal of Energy Development Oman. They will discuss ‘Open for Business: Oman’s Islamic Capital Market‘ from 11:30am to 12:10pm.
Oliver Agha will also moderate a panel session on ‘Islamic Investment Products and Asset Management in Oman’ from 1:35pm to 2:15pm. The session will be discussed by Akber Khan of AlRayan Investment, Anastasia Lim of Jabal Asset Management and Shahriah Shaharudin of Saturna Malaysia.
To read the full agenda, and to register for the Forum, click here.
Oliver Agha will be joining a panel session alongside Ahmed Ibrahim Lamei of ITS, Dr Haniza Yon of Global Psytech, Henk Jan Hoogendoorn of Qatar Financial Centre, Hichem Bouqniss of International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation, Nurein Mohamed of QFC Regulatory Authority, Simon Chan of K&L Gates and Tahir Hayat Pirzada of AlRayan Bank. The panellists will discuss ‘Accelerating Islamic Finance in Qatar: Banking, Capital Markets, Technology & ESG‘ from 9:30am to 11:20am.
Oliver Agha will also act as a moderator at the Forum for a discussion on ‘Shaping the Future: Islamic Investment Products and Asset Management in Qatar’ from 12:05pm to 2:00pm. The panellists for the session will include Akber Khan of AlRayan Investment, George Barakat of Power International Holding, Ghadir Mahgoub of Alchemist Doha, Mert Dedebas of Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Mohammad Malek Al Jamal of Alkhaleej Takaful Insurance, Neeshad Shafi of Offset8 Capital, and Shahariah Shaharudin of Saturna Malaysia.
To read the full agenda, and to register for the Forum, click here.
Oliver Agha will moderate a panel session on ‘Islamic Banking – Driving Southeast Asia’s Economic Growth’ from 9:05am to 10:05 am. The topic will be discussed by Ade Cahyo Nugroho of Bank Syariah Indonesia, Bilal Parvaiz of Standard Chartered Saadiq, and Wendy Cheong of Moody’s Ratings.
Oliver Agha will join a panel of speakers to discuss ‘Islamic Capital Markets: Managing Uncertainty and Strategies for Stability and Growth’ from 12:15pm to 1:15pm. Oliver will be speaking alongside Asim Khan of Khalij, Jessica Tan of S&P Dow Jones Indices, and Dr Mohamed Damak of S&P Global Ratings.
To read the full agenda, and to register for the Forum, click here.
Oliver Agha will join Mohamad Safri Shahul Hamid of International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation, Mohammad Ashraf Md Radzi of Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera, and Shahariah Shaharudin of Saturna Malaysia from 9:25am to 10:30am. The panellists will discuss ‘From Alternative to Mainstream: Successfully Positioning Shariah Compliant Investment Management for the Next Generation’.
Oliver Agha will be speaking alongside Mohamad Irwan Aman of Sarawak Energy, Muhammad Sahel Nordin of Bursa Malaysia, Ong Soon Chong of Eq8 Capital, and Sedef Gunsur of International Finance Corporation. They will discuss ‘Islamic Sustainable Finance: Unlocking the Power and Potential of Islamic Investment’ from 2:00pm to 3:00pm.
To read the full agenda, and to register for the Forum, click here.
Oliver Agha will moderate a session on ‘Laying the Foundations for Islamic Finance in Uzbekistan: Strategy, Regulation and Ecosystem Building’ from 9:25am to 10:25am.
Oliver Agha will be speaking on ‘Uzbekistan as an Investment Gateway: Unlocking Regional Islamic Finance Potential and Establishing Global Linkages’ from 10:40am to 11:40am.
To read the full agenda, and to register for the Forum, click here.
Oliver Agha will moderate a panel session on ‘Driving Growth: Participation Banking, Technology and Financial Markets in Türkiye’ from 9:30am to 11:20am. The panellists will include Bashar Al-Natoor of Fitch Ratings, Darius Nass of S&P Dow Jones Indices, and Dr Marjan Muhammad of ISRA Institute.
To read the full agenda, and to register for the Forum, click here.
David Russell KC has practised in the UAE since 2012 and is a member of the DIAC panel of arbitrators, having previously been President of the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants Association. In 2016 he chaired the DIFC’s Wealth Management Review Working Group, 53 of whose 56 recommendations have since been implemented. He has been worldwide Deputy Chair of STEP, and is currently a Professor of Law at the University of Southern Queensland, co-chair of the UAE chapter of the New York State Bar Association’s International Section, and a council member of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, the Global Tax Advisers Platform, and the International Tax Specialist Group.
Oliver Agha is a Professional Associate at Outer Temple Chambers based in the Middle East. Oliver has had a 28-year legal career span during which time he has served as a lawyer/partner/equity partner at top AmLaw 100 firms. He specialises in the interplay between Common Law, Civil Law and Islamic Law as these different legal systems intersect in the MENAT Region. Oliver has been recognized as an authority on Islamic Law/Finance – being the first Western trained lawyer to sit on the board of an Islamic Finance Regulator (Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)) and having established the first Islamically compliant law firm with its own Shari’ah Board in 2008 (and which was recognized at one point as the leading Islamic Law Firm practice, globally).
To find out more about David or Oliver, contact Lexie Johnson on + 44 (0) 207 427 0801 for a confidential discussion.
News 18 Aug, 2025
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