KUALA LUMPUR: The Securities Commission of Malaysia (SC) and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) have teamed up to host an international public forum on Islamic finance following the global financial crisis.

The inaugural collaboration will see Islamic finance experts, Syariah advisers and scholars discuss contemporary issues and challenges faced in Islamic finance, SC said in a statement on Thursday, March 11.

"The collaboration reflects our commitment to building knowledge and encouraging research and discourse in Islamic finance," said SC chairman Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar.

The event would see a roundtable on Friday entitled Developing a Scientific Methodology on Syariah Governance for Positioning Islamic Finance Globally and a public forum to be held on Saturday.

Some 300 industry practitioners, regulators and scholars are expected to attend the forum.

OCIS director Dr Farhan Nizami said the centre had embarked on the study of Islamic finance, in a move to promote a more comprehensive understanding of Islamic culture and civilisation.

"The OCIS is dedicated to achieving by academic means, a better understanding of Islam and the needs of Muslim societies. As part of this objective, it is embarking on the study of Islamic finance," he said.

The Regent of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, who is also the financial ambassador to the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC), will deliver the keynote address at both events. Zarinah and Nizami will also be speaking.