Ex-banker takes on male-dominated Islamic industry

Dubai

SAMINA Akram left her job at Merrill Lynch International Bank eight years ago to start her own consultancy in London specialising in Syariah-compliant finance. Now she's seeking to empower women in male-dominated Islamic banking.

What started as an informal ladies lunch club with other women in the industry will this week become the first global Women in Islamic Finance Forum, a conference for more than 200 people at KPMG LLP's Canary Wharf offices in London. Syariah-compliant finance forbids interest and typically relies on deals in which the buyer and the seller share risk as well as profit.