Taher is the only Arab woman to receive such recognition along with her only female counterpart, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, governor of the Central bank of Malaysia.
GIF’s editorial team defined the feature as a “celebration of those who have made a real difference, while holding significant roles and positions. GIF unveils these influencers’ experience, awards, and their public representation of the Islamic finance industry, as they work in Islamic banks, law firms, funds and wealth management organizations.”
The list includes prominent figures in the Islamic Finance industry.
In her interview, Taher showcased her thoughts on the future of Islamic finance. She said: “The ethical nature of Islamic finance, grounded in the fundamental principles of assets-backed and interest-free transactions as well as the prohibition of speculative activities, encourages risk management and transparency and thereby shields the industry from risks of financial distress associated with excessive leverage and speculative investments that have frustrated the conventional financial system.”
Shariah-compliant assets, currently estimated at around $850 billion, have witnessed dramatic expansion over the past decade or so, with average growth rate of between 10 and 20 percent per annum.
These are expected to grow at exponential rates in the future as the industry continues the process of mainstreaming itself into the global financial system. Analysis of the growth prospects of Islamic finance varies markedly across major pundits, but all have envisaged Islamic finance to blossom, with estimated assets ranging from $1.1 trillion by 2012, according to Ernst & Young, to $4 trillion by 2015 according to Moody’s.
