Mario Draghi: Islamic finance
Opening address by Mr Mario Draghi, Governor of the Bank of Italy and Chairman of the
Financial Stability Board, Seminar on Islamic Finance, organized by the Bank of Italy, Rome,
11 November 2009.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you today to this Seminar, organized by Banca d'Italia on the
subject of Islamic finance, the component of the financial industry which, complying with
Islamic prescriptions, avoids, in particular, the use of interest in financial transactions. This is
predicated on the principle that profits should be considered legitimate only upon the
condition that they be generated from fully sharing in the business risk of an investment (the
so called "profit and loss sharing principle").
Islamic finance has witnessed a rapid expansion over the last decade, with annual growth
rates of assets in the range of 10-15 per cent, and a wide dissemination across countries,
beyond its traditional centers of gravity in the Middle East and South East Asia. The
development of Islamic securities, notably the sukuks, has also contributed to increasing this
sector's activity in international capital markets.
Although official statistics are not yet available to accurately measure global developments of
the industry, private estimates assess its current size at above $ 800 billion dollars, in terms
of intermediated assets, with more than 600 institutions engaged in Islamic finance and
operating in around 50 countries; in the last few years, the industry has also been developing
in Europe, with the opening of some Islamic banks in the UK, the issuance of a sukuk bond
by a German Land, and increased activity in the field of Islamic investment funds
management.
The growth of Islamic finance in recent years is one aspect of the increased role being
played in the global financial system by a number of emerging economies. This is, of course,
a welcome development, as it opens up new opportunities for the productive channeling of
financial resources both to these countries and other markets. It does, however, also add to
the complexity of the global financial system. As the recent crisis has taught us, growing
complexity calls for enhanced international cooperation by policymakers and regulators, lest
the benefits of a dynamic financial system are jeopardized by instability.
The active participation of the monetary authorities of Saudi Arabia and of Indonesia - the
country with the largest Muslim population in the world - in the work of the Financial Stability
Board is, in this respect, an important contribution to the pursuit of our common goal of a
sound global financial system.
There can be no effective cooperation, however, without an adequate knowledge of the key
features of different components of the financial system, and of their interactions. It is in this
spirit that Banca d'Italia has taken the initiative to organize today's Seminar, with the aim of
better understanding the characteristics of this industry and its implications for the financial
system in Europe and in Italy.
For Banca d'Italia, it is an important opportunity to deepen our knowledge of this subject, in
view of its relevance for the Bank's institutional duties, as a member of the Eurosystem and
as the Authority for banking and financial supervision in Italy: we have, therefore, chosen to
specifically focus the Seminar on issues pertaining to monetary policy and banking
supervision.
A cursory look at the program should be sufficient to suggest that Islamic finance and its
interactions with conventional financial practices are a source of numerous intriguing
questions. I am therefore confident that the subject will stimulate the interest of participants in
today's Seminar, and most grateful to the highly qualified representatives from various
monetary and banking authorities, International Institutions, and academia who have
accepted to join the three panels.
I mentioned the importance of policy cooperation for the safeguard of a sound global
financial system. Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, who has
kindly accepted to be the keynote speaker of today's Seminar, is an outstanding example of
a civil servant who has put international cooperation at the center of her professional activity,
throughout her distinguished career: she has, in this respect, chaired the EMEAP's Taskforce
on "Regional Cooperation among Central Banks in Asia" and is currently Chairperson of the
BIS Asian Consultative Group. An accomplished economist, she is also one of the leading
experts in Islamic Finance, having played a key role in the establishment of the Islamic
Financial Services Board, of which she was later Council Chairperson in 2007.
Unfortunately, official engagements with the Malaysian government, which were set only in
the last few days, have prevented Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz from traveling to Europe for this
Seminar. While she cannot be physically with us today, she has nevertheless made a point
of participating in the event, and has sent us a video recording of her address, which we are
now going to show.
Let me therefore leave the "virtual" floor to Dr. Akhtar Aziz, looking forward to her address,
and to the interesting sessions which will unfold during the day.