The rise of Islamic finance - Knowledge Works

Lecture details Since its formation in the mid-1970s Islamic finance has grown rapidly, and appears to have come of age since the global financial crisis by nearly doubling in size from just over US $600 billion in 2007 to approximately $1.2 trillion in 2010. In this latest Knowledge Works seminar Professor Mervyn Lewis will share the secrets of what makes Islamic finance a success and what attracts Lewis will explore Islam itself, and shari’a law, for these provide the religious and ethical principles underpinning the system. Professor Lewis will also examine how Islamic banking and finance operate in practice, including Islamic investment funds and sukuk (bonds) that tap new global market segments and have driven the system’s rapid growth. The seminar will close by considering the ways in which Islamic finance provides a viable and distinctive alternative to conventional finance. This insightful Knowledge Works lecture is a not to be missed event for those conducting business or collaborating with Islamic finance organisations, or those simply seeking greater insight and understanding of Islamic business and its future. Professor Mervyn Lewis is Professor of Banking and Finance at the University of South Australia and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Previously he was Midland Bank Professor of Money and Banking at the University of Nottingham and has been a Visiting Scholar at the Bank of England as well as the Inaugural Securities Commission-University of Malaya Visiting Professor. Professor Lewis has published 22 books, 70 articles and 81 chapters and his research volumes include Islamic Banking (2001), Islamic Finance (2007), Handbook of Islamic Banking (2007) and An Islamic Perspective on Governance (2009). Visit the Knowledge Works website at