HIS Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, yesterday consented to officiate the opening of the Brunei Darussalam Islamic Investment Summit 2013 (BIIS 2013) at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.

On arrival, HRH was greeted by Minister of Development Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Suyoi bin Hj Osman, in his capacity as Deputy Chairman of the Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD) Board of Directors.

Also present to greet HRH were Minister of Finance II at the Prime Minister’s Office Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abdul Rahman bin Hj Ibrahim, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Paduka Awg Hj Ali bin Hj Apong, other members of the AMBD Board of Directors and BIIS 2013, and the organising committee.

The ceremony opened with an Al-Quran recitation by Qari champion for the National Al-Quran Reading Competition for Adults (1434H/2013) Ak Muhd Adibul Amin, and was followed by a welcoming speech by AMBD Managing Director Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Rosli bin Hj Sabtu.

In his remarks, he noted that among the objectives of the summit is to provide a platform for participants to share knowledge and experience as well as exchange views on current issues pertaining to Islamic finance with special focus on investment opportunities in the Asian region.

He also shared that the summit’s theme ‘Tapping and Expanding the Global Investment Opportunity in Asia’s Market’ was specifically chosen to further leverage on the growth and dynamism of Islamic finance.

The managing director also noted that rapid expansion and growing acceptance of Islamic finance have been witnessed globally over the years, and naturally the evolution of Islamic finance stands to benefit from an enhanced universal appeal with a wider consumer and business segment, greater financial inclusion and harmonisation through increased research and development, and more effective dissemination of information.

The day also saw HRH delivering a sabda, and a keynote presentation delivered by Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, Group Chairman and President of Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,.

To bless the opening ceremony, a Doa was read by YB Pehin Datu Imam Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awg Abd Hamid bin Bakal, following which HRH consented to view the exhibition booths by a number of participating financial institutions and programme partners showcasing Islamic financial products and services, among others.

HRH also consented to a group photo with the Board of Directors of AMBD and BIIS 2013 organising committee, before consenting to the ‘Junjung Ziarah’ by the board of directors and organising committee.

The opening ceremony was attended by Cabinet Ministers, council members, members of the Brunei Islamic Religious Council, members of Syariah Financial Supervisory Board, foreign envoys and permanent secretaries.

Attended by 250 participants from Brunei and abroad, the two-day summit is hosted by AMBD and Centre for Islamic Banking and Management (CIBFM) in collaboration with the Centre for Research and Training (CERT), Malaysia. - Borneo Bulletin (19 June 2013)