So You Want to Change the World?

So did I, 25 years ago. I still do. A few years after graduating, I was fortunate to find myself in a discipline where I genuinely could make a difference. Islamic finance – or more precisely the Islamic economic model - has the power to revolutionise the way people do business, to democratise capital in a way that can restructure society, and reduce the gap between rich and poor.

When people ask me in a professional context what’s my motivation, I tell them it’s to change the industry so that its ideals can be achieved. And although that’s an easy thing to say, I mean it. OK, so I haven’t succeeded in executing the plan just yet. The industry is a square peg in a round hole, a system of financing based on real assets and risk-sha...