THE CHALLENGE WE FACE

Trust in financial systems is eroding. Across many jurisdictions, confidence in institutions, public information, and financial claims have weakened, with material consequences for governance, investment, and social cohesion (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2025; GlobeScan, 2026).

Misinformation and disinformation have been ranked the leading short-term global risk for two consecutive years, precisely because they undermine governance and obstruct collective action (WEF Global Risks Report, 2025).

When trust in information deteriorates, trust in financial decisions and future commitments deteriorates with it, and economic systems cease to serve their core function.

The costs are global, but especially severe in the Global South, where financial exclusion remains widespread, financing gaps for developing countries exceed US$4 trillion annually (UN DESA, 2024), and institutional fragility amplifies shocks (Brookings, 2025; IMF, 2025).

Multiple transitions are unfolding simultaneously: energy transformation, digital disruption, geopolitical realignment, and repeated conflict- and climate-related displacement. Conventional financial systems have faced challenges building trust in this environment – through opaque automated decisions, slow and uneven climate finance delivery, financial inclusion initiatives that reach those nearest to the formal system while missing the most vulnerable, and development assistance that has in some cases created dependency rather than local capacity. The result is a widening gap between stated ethical commitments and observable outcomes, deepening public scepticism.

Islamic finance starts from a different foundation: transparency, fairness, asset-backing, and shared responsibility developed through centuries of jurisprudence. These principles align well with contemporary demands for stakeholder governance, sustainable development, and economic justice – but stated principles are not enough. What matters is evidence of what works, honest assessment of limitations, and practical frameworks that translate aspiration into measurable results. FIFC 2026 focuses on identifying and documenting cases where ethical and Islamic finance approaches have generated replicable success.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Trust Cannot Be Automated

As financial decisions become more automated, many people lose the ability to understand, challenge, or appeal decisions affecting their lives. Islamic finance places informed consent and transparency at the core of lawful dealing. The practical question is what accountability frameworks are needed to ensure efficiency does not displace fairness in opaque systems.

Transitions Must Be Fair

Energy transition, digital transformation, and geopolitical shifts create uneven gains and losses. Vulnerable workers and communities often bear the costs while benefits concentrate elsewhere – as South Africa’s energy transition illustrates. Islamic finance treats distributive justice as a core economic commitment. The question is whether this can be translated into structures that protect affected communities and create viable livelihoods, not merely fund large projects efficiently.

Inclusion Requires More Than Access

Many remain financially excluded; others are included on extractive terms. Digital finance can widen access but can also reproduce exclusion through biased scoring, high fees, or weak protections. Islamic finance formally prioritises service to underserved populations. It asks: which institutional models reach low-income households sustainably, and which merely relabel conventional products?

Information Must Be Trustworthy

Claims about sustainability, social impact, and ethical compliance face heightened scepticism. Shariah governance structures are intended to strengthen trust but rebuilding trust requires governance arrangements that make integrity visible and contestable – not merely asserted.

Development Must Deliver Growth

Ethical finance must be judged through productive growth outcomes. Islamic finance has historical strengths in trade, entrepreneurship, and asset-linked activity, yet contemporary performance is uneven. The task is to identify which models produce measurable development outcomes, under what conditions they scale, and why some remain normatively attractive but operationally weak.

WHAT WE SEEK

Measurable impact on development

Demonstrate measurable impact on development, inclusion, resilience, or institutional trust

Replicable models

Present replicable models — institutional, legal, financial, technological, or community-based — adaptable across jurisdictions

Scaling conditions

Identify conditions for successful implementation and scaling, including governance, regulation, incentives, and capacity constraints

Comparative analysis

Compare approaches rigorously, including where Islamic and ethical finance models outperform, underperform, or require redesign

Growth & recovery studies

Document cases of growth, recovery, enterprise development, community finance, or social protection

Operational frameworks

Translate principles into operational frameworks that institutions can implement and evaluate

Empirical • Interdisciplinary • Implementation-focused

CONFERENCE THEMES

PILLAR 1

“Trust” and Institutional Integrity

  • Law, Regulation, and Governance: Building institutional trust through Maqasid-driven frameworks, Shariah governance, and legal recognition.

PILLAR 2

“Fairness” and Healing a Fractured World

  • Islamic Social Finance: Deploying Zakat, Waqf, and humanitarian models for equitable redistribution and community rebuilding.
  • Financial Inclusion and Household Resilience: Fostering fairness through responsible credit, financial literacy, and inclusion for vulnerable populations.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Algorithmic Justice: Ensuring ethical AI, data privacy, and Shariah auditability in digital financial systems.

PILLAR 3

“Transitions” for the Future Economy

  • Climate Finance and Just Transitions: Structuring Green Sukuk and transition finance to support sustainable economies and protect workers.
  • Post-Conflict Recovery and Infrastructure: Mobilizing blended finance and asset-based structures for crisis-resilient development and system reconstruction.
  • Digital Assets and Monetary Theory: Establishing Fiqhi foundations for CBDCs, tokenisation, and cross-border payments in the digital economy.

WHO SHOULD SUBMIT

We welcome submissions from academics, PhD students, policy analysts, and civil society working on finance, law, development, governance, technology, and related fields. We encourage empirical and implementation-based studies, comparative and interdisciplinary research; critical analysis of gaps between claims and outcomes; and perspectives from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Practitioner and policy submissions should be analytically grounded and clearly document methods, evidence and lessons for replication.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Extended Abstracts: 500 – 1,000 words

Include: research question and objectives; theoretical or literature foundation; proposed methodology; expected contribution; intended practical implications; replication/adaptation conditions (where relevant).

Full Papers: 5,000 – 8,000 words (excl. references) once abstracts are accepted

Include: 200-max word abstract; research question and contribution; methodology; findings and analysis; practical or policy implications; replicability note (where relevant).

Format

MS, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman. No author identification in the main document. Include a separate cover page with name, affiliation(s), contact details, paper title and preferred conference theme.

Review Process

Double-blind peer review by the International Scientific Committee. Language: English.

FIFC SA 2026 will be hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cape Town – Upper Eastside

Day 1 

FIFC Research Conference — Main Hall | 09:00 – 16:30
Master Class 1: AAOIFI Shariah & Governance Standards — Queens 1 & 2 | 14:00 – 17:00

Day 2 

FIFC Research Conference — Main Hall | 09:00 – 16:30

Izdara Takaful Suite Launch: Insurance, Advisory, Wealth, Investment & Rewards  — Queens 1 & 2 09:00 – 12:00

Master Class 2: AI Ethics in Islamic Banking & Takaful — Queens 1 & 2 | 14:00 – 17:00

Izdara Business Networking Session—  14:00 – 16:00 — Mezzanine Lounge |  14:00 – 16:00
Gala Dinner — Banquet Hall | 18:30 for 19:00 – 21:30

Day 3 

IPSA Students Islamic Finance Presentations — Main Hall | 09:00 – 12:30
Master Class 3: Shariah Compliant Digital Assets, Tokenisation and DeFi — Queens 1 & 2 | 09:00 – 12:00

Shariah Scholars Forum (Shariah Scholars Only) — Executive Boardroom | 14:00 – 17:00

Islamic Finance Expo — Piazza Exhibition Space | 27-29 October 2026

The overall criterion is scientific rigour, evident in clarity of argument, engagement with relevant literature, clear contribution to knowledge, credible methodology (qualitative, quantitative, doctrinal, comparative, or mixed methods), relevance to conference themes, and policy significance such as implementation value and transferable lessons for development, governance and resilience.

Abstract Submission Deadline

31 August 2026

Notification of Acceptance

10 September 2026

Draft Paper Submission

30 September 2026

Conference Dates

27 – 29 October 2026

Full Paper Submission

30 November 2026

Post-peer Review Submission 

25 February 2027

Paper Publication in AJLS

31 March 2027

Selected papers will be considered for publication in an accredited journal (Scopus-indexed) special issue, subject to passing expert peer review. Best paper awards will recognise contributions that demonstrate originality, methodological rigour, policy relevance and practical significance.

Since 2005, the Foundation of Islamic Finance Conference has advanced the field through rigorous, blind-reviewed scholarship, producing 8 peer-reviewed books with major academic publishers, hundreds of journal articles, and a global research network committed to evidence-based work. Previous conferences have been held in Melbourne, the UAE, Bahrain, Durham, Lancaster, and Malaysia; most recently Langkawi (2024): “Addressing Global Political Uncertainties: The Role of Transition and Recovery Financing.”

The University of the Western Cape brings expertise in legal integration, governance, and comparative law. The Centre for Legal Integration in Africa (CLIA) contributes expertise in legal harmonization in African governance frameworks. Cape Town is a tourist hub that provides a real-world context for the conference themes of inequality alongside sophisticated finance, active transition debates, digital transformation, and continental connectivity. South Africa’s apartheid experience makes these themes especially relevant.

Conference Chair
Assoc Prof Dr Ziyaad Mahomed (INCEIF, Malaysia)

Co-Chairs
Prof Dr Shamsher Mohamad | Prof Dr Baharom Abdul Hamid (INCEIF, Malaysia)
Dr L Manie (UWC)

Scientific Committee
Prof Dr Zulkarnain Md Sori, Prof Dr Aishath Muneeza, Prof Dr Turalay Kenc, Dr Kinan Salim (INCEIF); Prof Dr Ishaq Bhatti (Universiti Brunei Darussalam); Prof M Abduraof; Dr M Djemilou; Dr F Essop; Dr L Manie (UWC).

Contact

Email: admin@fifcsa.co.za
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Cape Town – Upper Eastside. 31 Brickfield Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7935
Programme Chair: Assoc Prof Dr Ziyaad Mahomed | ziyaad@inceif.edu.my
Co-Chair: Dr Latiefa Manie | lmanie@uwc.ac.za