Services

Operating in an uncertain and constantly changing world, where political, financial and health crisis are redefining the global landscape; strategy and leadership have never been as challenging as they are nowadays.

Thus, addressing properly the opportunities and challenges in the Islamic finance space is definitely a highly complex assignment.

Introducing new Islamic finance products to your product portfolio to gain a competitive advantage over your market competitors can be achieved through several scenarios. It can be done through a dedicated Islamic window, by setting up a completely dedicated subsidiary or by collaborating in an Islamic finance project financing. All of these scenarios are strategic moves into the Islamic finance space that need to be assessed properly and lead to a well-defined action plan or strategic roadmap.

With a deep understanding of the Islamic finance dynamics and underlying economic political and demographic landscape, we help our clients develop Islamic finance strategic market moves, plans, initiatives and programs. We help them identify the ideal options, scenarios and models that will lead them to a smooth rollout; mid and long term successful and sustainable results.

Despite “disruption” happens to be the key word in the financial services industry and the digital transformation process being its cornerstone, the Islamic finance industry is still looking to the digital transformation merely as a technology adoption process using only buzzwords of “Fintechs”, “AI”, and “blockchain.” and dealing with Customer experience.

Digital transformation goes far beyond that and provides unrivaled opportunities to use technology not as a strategy by itself but as strategy enabler, making new disruptive business models to take place making a real business transformation.

In this fast changing world and very complex environment, the C-suite must keep the core business running while simultaneously identifying and investing in the new. We commit to enable Islamic finance industry leaders to act quickly and confidently as they pivot to the future.

We offer traditional and digital Islamic finance players, public and private organizations, multilaterals and development agencies research & strategy consulting services including :

• Market and competitive intelligence to understand the market trends and environment;
• Strategic roadmaps and plans to enable the business transformation and digitalization achieve development and sustainability;
• Strategic positioning, value chain advisory and business transformation: business modelling, partnership strategy, technology choice and digital mix, regulatory and compliance, risk management, etc;
• Road-to-market: product / business transformation roadmap, liquidity and risk management, pricing strategy, roll-out plan;
• CX: customer experience program and retention.

Involving our sharia teams will enable you to:

• manage your sharia non-compliance risks right from the beginning ;
• address complex and interdisciplinary assignments and projects ;
• benefit from a largely diversified experience gained in several market segments and public and private clients ;
• stimulate your innovation and product development methodology through our value-based and sharia based approach ; and
• Avoid cost and time inefficiencies.

With a deep understanding of the Islamic finance dynamics and underlying economic political and demographic landscape, we help our clients develop Islamic finance strategic market moves, plans, initiatives and programs. We help them identify the ideal options, scenarios and models that will lead them to a smooth rollout; mid and long term successful and sustainable results.

Our sharia auditors and sharia governance specialists, cater your specific needs with a risk- based approach that is relying on international AAOIFI and IFSB standards. The research team will address complex sharia research projects within the four most famous jurisprudential schools of thought and beyond.

To ensure an effective product development, managing sharia non-compliance risk and gain public confidence, sharia advisory is a cornerstone. With a deep understanding of the AAOIFI Sharia compliance framework that inspires most of the jurisdictions and Islamic financial institutions and Fintech operators globally, our sharia advisors work alongside with our clients to structure complex sharia compliant transactions and sharia based innovative market leading products and devise solutions based on their own specific needs & situation.

FINEOPOLIS & ALMAALI is assisting regulators and authorities in designing the right strategic supervisory approach for the introduction or enhancement of the Islamic Finance infrastructure in their jurisdictions. Through strategic seminars and workshops, inception reports and fact- finding missions we help the supervisory authorities understand the challenges, and identify safe paths to achieve their market development objectives along with enhancing the financial stability of their supervised markets.

Along with our partners (law and tax firms), we introduce Islamic financial instruments, either in the capital markets or the banking sectors.

We also help the regulators to address the different supervisory challenges with a comprehensive perspective, including drafting regulatory tools and laws such as:

• Sharia governance ;
• Corporate governance ;
• Prudential regulations (liquidity, capital structure, solvency, minimum requirement of capital, specific risks, risk management, etc….)
• Islamic window specific regulations ;
• Accounting and tax treatments ;
• Contract-templates ;
• Deposit guarantee schemes,
• Resolution and liquidation
• Sukuk laws, Sovereign Sukuk issuances and Sovereign liquidity instruments, etc….

Our experience in the regulatory advisory in the Islamic banking sector is showing us eight main areas that the regulators should address by developing a specific policy/strategy/ regulation. We have been involved in advising and developing solutions for all of these main areas and we can bring added-value advisory services to address these issues in your jurisdiction.

Product development in Islamic finance is a very complex exercise. Dealing with sharia compliance, technology, digital, regulatory, risk, tax and customer experience are all dimensions that we have to take into consideration, when developing a competitive financial product. Relying on a multidisciplinary team of technology experts, leading innovators and sharia advisors and adopting a co-creation approach with our customers, we commit to deliver cutting edge and innovative sharia compliant products with the right fit in the product mix that ensures a sustainable competitive advantage and a superior costumer experience.

Developing and offering products, which are competitive, as well responsive to the market needs is very essential for the success of any Islamic financial institution.

In this regards, we assist our clients in the grow, refine and redefine their strategic product portfolio offering through the following activities:

• The product portfolio strategic analysis;
• Developing the product Structure Memorandum of each product (explaining the product process flow);
• Developing related risk management policies;
• Policies and procedures;
• Developing legal documentation related to Sharia Compliant products;
• Accounting treatment and IT specifications;
• Designing the related high level marketing and promotion strategies.

Are you running a Zakat or Waqf fund/ Institution? Are you aiming to raise funds, and attract more supporters? Then you should consider our social finance certification.

At FINEOPOLIS & ALMAALI, our commitment to quality assurance is backed by an ongoing investment in processes, standards, and certifications that ensure excellence.

Gaining our certification is the clearest way of demonstrating your commitment to running a safe, efficient and responsible organization. Our Zakat and Waqf standards will help you reduce your environmental impact, improve health and safety, strengthen information security and deliver effective business continuity management.

Our certification for your Zakat/Waqf organization provides the following benefits:

• Increase the trust and donations to your funds
• Boost the marketing and communication efforts, to reach a wide range of donors.
• confirmation that your organization has reached a recognized quality standard
• Prevent problems from reoccurring
• Improve employee performance
• Improve control over the fund

The standards developed by FINEOPOLIS & ALMAALI aim at framing the institutional work of the Zakat and waqf organizations by assisting them adopt best practices and providing a general institutional framework for operational, legal, governance, accounting aspects and measuring impact.