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Keynote Address, 2010 Islamic Finance Conference, Rendezvous Ho

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    Let me assure you the Government is intent on developing Australia as a regional financial centre and it sees Islamic finance as a fundamental part of that endeavour. Businesses that offer Islamic finance products should benefit from any successes we achieve in that sphere. First, the Report recommends the removal of regulatory barriers to the development of Islamic finance products in Australia. While our finance and insurance sector already generates significant jobs and wealth, we recognise that it has a great untapped potential. This outcome provides tentative signs that a self-sustaining private sector recovery is in prospect, although growth still relies on public infrastructure investment. In looking at the future of Islamic finance I think it is first necessary to talk about the state of the Australian economy and how the Government is positioning Australia to be a regional financial centre.

    It is thus incumbent upon Muslims to find a way of lending, borrowing, and investing without interest. Islam is not the only religious tradition to have raised serious concerns about Islamic Finance Australia the ethics of interest, but Muslims have continued to debate the issue with vigour. The head of local Islamic finance company Amanah Finance explains that the core philosophy goes further than avoiding interest.

    And at least two entities are seeking a licence to establish Islamic banks in Australia, alongside non-bank financial institutions that already offer sharia-compliant services. We have worked extensively on large-scale asset and structured finance transactions. We have also assisted a number of providers to roll out Islamic finance products for retail and corporate customers.

    Make sure you have a clear understanding of exactly how much extra you’re being charged as a result of the profit rate. Murphy stresses that when comparing Islamic home loans, you should keep an eye out for the service level offered by the provider. The fundamental difference between a typical home loan and a Sharia-compliant home loan is in the borrowing terms used (i.e. interest with a typical home loan vs rental or profit fee with an Islamic home loan). For the period of the transaction, the buyer amortised the outstanding debt through rental instalments. APRA has granted a restricted banking licence to Australia’s first Islamic bank, which plans to offer home finance through the broker channel. While the bottom line is important, in a world where corporate governance and social impact adds to brand gravity, ethical consciousness must take precedence when developing products and services.

    “There are developers that we work with that in the past just haven’t used any bank finance so we deliver projects with 100 per cent of their own equity,” said managing director Amen Zoabi. “Interest-free banking was non-existent in Australia, but it did exist in Canada where I had previously been studying,” he said. When Professor Ishaq Bhatti came to Australia 30 years ago, the bank teller looked bemused when he asked for a savings account that didn’t accrue interest. Under Islamic law, or Sharia, there is a prohibition on charging or paying interest, which is called riba and considered exploitative because the lender does not assume a share of the risk.

    The challenge lies in keeping up with the pace that society is changing — and technology is at the forefront for influencing those societal changes. The Rudd Government is acting to ensure our country is attractive to Islamic financial investment and facilitates greater involvement with this important sector of the global economy. Australia's largest investment bank, Macquarie Group, has also announced plans for an Islamic finance joint venture with the Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House to target markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Australia is well aware of the potential for Islamic finance in developing our nation as a financial services centre.

    Chief executive Dean Gillespie says the bank already has a customer waiting list of 5000 and hopes to open next year. More than 30 years later Australia - with a Muslim population of about 1.2 million - is beginning to open up to the untapped Islamic finance market, estimated by global researcher Salaam Gateway to be worth $248 billion. Committed to ensuring our clients understand the potential impacts of regulations on Sharia compliant financiers means we provide the most innovative, complex and sophisticated finance solutions in Asia and beyond.

    After the completion of our “restricted” phase, we plan to obtain APRA’s approval so that we can publicly launch. Digital Banking Technology Digital First experiences in banking brings together the innovation and capabilities of the latest technologies. Choice in Banking In life, choice is important – this includes choice in banking also especially when banking is... Ethical banking is in our DNA; we make ethical decisions in whatever we do. Although only making up 2.6 per cent of the population, Muslims account for a smaller fraction of the labour force due to their lower participation rate , especially among women.

    In turn, this will support a recovery in incomes across the economy. Another major reason has been Australia's close economic links with the Asian region, particularly China. These countries outperformed the North American and European zones during the global recession and are leading the global recovery. The Government's stimulus strategy has been one of the main reasons for Australia being one of only three advanced economies to avoid recession. In 2009, our economy grew by 1.3 per cent — 4½ percentage points above the average for all advanced economies.

    "Financial Exclusion and the Role of Islamic Finance in Australia: A Ca" by Mohamed Rosli Mohamed Sain, Mohammad M Rahman et al

    Home loan applications continue to decline, according to the latest Equifax data. Without this approach, the gap on financial inclusion will only widen or contribute to diminishing financial health. IBA's licence is timely too, with the 2021 Australian Census highlighting a 34.6 per cent increase in Australia’s Islamic population — now the second largest religion in our country. We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.

    We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you. Get a cash lump sum of $2,000+ for refinancing to a low-rate loan. Your lending institution may approve your circumstance beforehand, allowing you to immediately choose a home that is within the price range they agreed upon, thereby facilitating your application process. This alternative method of obtaining a home is designed to better align with Sharia law to offer Muslims a means of pursuing home ownership without offending their religious values. Look for a lender that offers weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments so you can arrange your payments to suit your income. The property he'd like to purchase is valued at $310,000 and with his $60,000 deposit, he needs help coming up with the $250,000 difference before the house can be transferred to him.

    Asad was an adviser to the Australian government's review of the taxation impact of Islamic finance in 2011. He's seen the sector grow but also battle to fit around Australia's banking framework. Interest is everywhere – it's tied to home loans, deposit accounts, credit cards, and is meticulously manipulated by our own central bank.

    Overall, very good customer service and will definitely recommend it. I have had a great experience at Amanah Islamic Finance so far. They were organised, very professional and have excellent customer services. If you are going to make an offer at a private sale please ensure your lawyer requests a “subject to finance” period. Ultimately, we want to bring our Shariah compliant products to the grass roots of our community and we have leading representatives in each state that can assist you. Islamic finance differs considerably from regular finance, as charging interest on loans is not allowed under Islamic law.

    He leads a local team of industry specialists who together aim to create frictionless customer experiences through the application of digital touchpoints. Earlier this year, our digital engineering team at Mobiquity delivered an Islamic bank prototype with online car finance ("Murabaha") to support the growing global Muslim community. I’m afraid we may not be able to provide you with an answer to that question. The accounting treatment will be determined by the lender/bank that offers the Islamic Home Loan.

    Instead, they follow Mudarabah principles and earn you money through profit shares. There’ll be term deposits available from 1 to 12 months, and an automated rollover feature that puts your money back in a term deposit when it hits its maturity date. Sharia Law offers Muslims a broad set of rules for living an ethical life.

    The information you provide us here will be verified with supporting documents which we will ask you to provide later. We have been recognised for our commitment to client service having been awarded the Best Islamic Finance Institution for three consecutive years by the prestigious. The Islamic Finance News awards honour the best in the Islamic finance industry and are one of the most prestigious awards highly recognised by global Islamic finance capital markets. We have now provided more than $300 million of Islamic finance to customers nationally and our presence has grown across Australia with representatives in each state. We congratulate you for making the right choice and selecting the halal home loan alternative.

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