Dr Nafis Alam, Assistant Professor of Finance at NUBS Malaysia, was invited to give a talk in a workshop focussing on Islamic Banking and Finance (IBF) in the Gulf region, at the 2012 Annual Gulf Research Meeting held at the University of Cambridge, UK, from 11-14 July 2012. The workshop explored and discussed the particularities of IBF in the Gulf region by making direct reference to the micro and macro dynamics of the industry and the impact of the Gulf economic and financial environment on its development. Dr Alam highlighted the role of regulation and supervision on the Gulf banking system and emphasized on the importance of a strong regulatory framework for a stable banking system in the Gulf, world's largest Islamic finance hub.
The Annual Gulf Research Meeting (GRM) was established by the Gulf Research Centre Cambridge to enhance knowledge and research about the Gulf. Its objective is to provide an academic environment to foster Gulf studies and to encourage scholarly and academic exchange among those working on or interested in the developments taking place that are defining the Gulf region and their constituent societies. Set within the historic outlines of the University of Cambridge, the GRM attempts to highlight the issues of importance to the Gulf region and provide a basis for undertaking and engaging in academic and empirical research in the fields of banking and finance, politics, economics, energy, security and the wider social sciences.
The 2012 GRM, the third organised by the Centre, provided an academic environment to foster Gulf studies and promote scholarly and academic exchange among scholars. In total, more than 450 participants from 70 countries across the globe took part in deliberations spread over 19 workshops dedicated to various aspects of Gulf development. The participants included dignitaries, head of states, policy makers, bankers and academics.
Posted on 8th August 2012