The Forum took place in İstanbul on November 17, 2015 and the opening speeches were delivered by Murat Çetinkaya, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Vice Governor; and Tevfik Kınık, Capital Markets Board of Turkey Vice Chairman. At the Forum, topics including the development of participation banks, sukuk and participation asset and fund investment management industry in Turkey were covered. At the Forum, Dr. Mustafa Kemal Yılmaz, Borsa İstanbul Executive Vice President, delivered a presentation entitled “Realising the Potential of On-Exchange Islamic Products”.

Mr. Yılmaz emphasized that Global Islamic Finance Market has exceeded USD 2 trillion as of the end of 2014 and that the weight of equities, which have higher return potential and are more compliant with Islamic principles, should be increased in the Islamic funds. Yılmaz also indicated that the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Exchanges need to collaborate in promoting Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). In his presentation, Yılmaz also highlighted the potential joint initiatives among the OIC exchanges and actions that need to be taken in order to increase training and awareness on Islamic Finance.