In your opinion, what would be most effective to allow the Islamic finance industry to finally break out of its niche status?

Bernardo Vizcaino, CAIA, is the author of the April Member Poll. When he helped to launch Opalesque Islamic Finance Intelligence (OIFI) in collaboration with Opalesque, he was featured in the July 2009 Smart Moves. He has been a CAIA member since November 2008.

Alternative investments have had to contend - at different times of their lifecycle - with sometimes hostile regulatory environments, reticent political support, harsh media treatment, and a skeptic public. Given the initial opacity of the industry and the sometimes disbanded nature of its participants, it seems that this predicament is being repeated in the Islamic finance industry.

Internal Governance: strengthening its framework from within along the lines of a "hedge funds code of conduct."
6%
External Advocacy: through the development of an "industry association" along the lines of the CAIA Association.
7%
Media Campaign: enhancing information channels and debunking the negative perceptions of this relatively new industry.
10%
Educational Component: staff training, industry certifications and the overall "professionalisation" of its practitioners.
7%
A Combined Approach (i.e. all of the above).
71%
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