Join our event on Islamic Finance, covering the latest trends in Islamic Banking and Sukuk, macro and credit trends, as well as opportunities in the GCC & ASEAN regions. Our analysts will discuss how regulatory initiatives and green Sukuks drive energy transition in Islamic finance, with a focus on Malaysia's banks. Our expert panelists will also delve into the region's transition finance needs, the role of rating agencies, and the challenges ahead.
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Mariam George at Mariam.George@moodys.com.
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Nitish Bhojnagarwala is a Senior Vice President/Manager with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.
Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).
Christian de Guzman is a Senior Vice President with Moody’s Sovereign and Sub-Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereigns and multilateral development banks in Asia Pacific, including Japan, India and a number of Southeast Asian credits, while also managing the team responsible for sub-sovereign ratings in Asia ex-China.
Christian joined Moody’s in 2009, after working as a Senior Economist for the Monetary Authority of Singapore, covering ASEAN economies. He has also held various positions with the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, and Procter & Gamble in Singapore.
Christian was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Economics and Political Science at the University of Georgia and received his M.A. in International Economics and Southeast Asian Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Abdulla Al Hammadi serves as an Assistant Vice President with Moody's Financial Institutions Group. He is based in Dubai, where he oversees a portfolio of bank credit ratings across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, with a particular emphasis on Islamic financial institutions.
Abdulla joined Moody’s in 2024. Prior to his tenure at Moody's, Abdulla was an Associate Director at Fitch Ratings, covering financial institution ratings in the Middle East. Before Fitch Ratings, he was with the Central Bank of Bahrain, handling prudential supervision for wholesale banks.
Abdulla is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and earned a First-Class Honours degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain. He authored a book titled "Principles of Financial planning, Investment & Trading" aimed at providing comprehensive overview on passive style investment portfolio.
Nitish Bhojnagarwala is a Senior Vice President/Manager with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.
Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).
Eqhwan Mokhzanee Bin Muhammad is the CEO of AmBank Islamic Berhad. He plays a leading role in shaping and implementing the strategic and business trajectory of AmBank Islamic Berhad. His other responsibilities include:
• Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Financial Industry Collective Outreach
(FINCO)
• Co-Chairman of the Risk Management Sub-Committee of the BNM and SC-led Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3)
Experience
• Approximately 25 years of diverse financial services and corporate experience
• Career journey commenced at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London and thereafter joined the corporate advisory practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Kuala Lumpur
• Subsequently assumed various roles within local and foreign banks, gaining exposure to corporate banking, debt capital markets, corporate finance, financial advisory and real estate investment
• Corporate experience entailed corporate management, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), strategy development, and operational start-ups both domestically and internationally
• Invited as a speaker at conferences in Malaysia and abroad
• Developed award-winning and innovative Islamic financial structures
• Authored research papers on Islamic finance
• First Chairman of the industry-level working group responsible for developing sectoral guides for value-based intermediation (VBI) for the palm oil, renewable energy, and energy efficiency sectors, to facilitate financial institutions in assigning ESG ratings for investment and financing decisions
• Led AmBank Group’s sustainability/ESG agenda as AmBank Group Sustainability Champion from 2019 to May 2023
CJ Wong is an Analyst with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group.
Based in Singapore, CJ covers a portfolio of banks and non-bank financial institutions in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Vietnam
Prior to joining Moody’s, CJ worked as a research analyst in the Dividend Forecasting team at IHS Markit, where he was responsible for providing estimates on financial institutions and corporates in Australia and Singapore.
CJ holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of Sydney, majoring in Finance and Economics. He is a CFA Charterholder.
Abdulla Al Hammadi serves as an Assistant Vice President with Moody's Financial Institutions Group. He is based in Dubai, where he oversees a portfolio of bank credit ratings across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, with a particular emphasis on Islamic financial institutions.
Abdulla joined Moody’s in 2024. Prior to his tenure at Moody's, Abdulla was an Associate Director at Fitch Ratings, covering financial institution ratings in the Middle East. Before Fitch Ratings, he was with the Central Bank of Bahrain, handling prudential supervision for wholesale banks.
Abdulla is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and earned a First-Class Honours degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain. He authored a book titled "Principles of Financial planning, Investment & Trading" aimed at providing comprehensive overview on passive style investment portfolio.
Christian de Guzman is a Senior Vice President with Moody’s Sovereign and Sub-Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereigns and multilateral development banks in Asia Pacific, including Japan, India and a number of Southeast Asian credits, while also managing the team responsible for sub-sovereign ratings in Asia ex-China.
Christian joined Moody’s in 2009, after working as a Senior Economist for the Monetary Authority of Singapore, covering ASEAN economies. He has also held various positions with the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, and Procter & Gamble in Singapore.
Christian was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Economics and Political Science at the University of Georgia and received his M.A. in International Economics and Southeast Asian Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Leslie Jong Vui Min is an ESG/Sustainability Consultant at MARC Solutions Sdn Bhd. In this capacity, Leslie oversees all of the ESG/Sustainability initiatives under Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad (MARC).
His extensive experience in ESG includes over 10 years of assisting institutions perform comprehensive assessments in the areas of sustainability and forestry. Leslie was the Malaysian Country Manager for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global, nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting the responsible management of the world's forests.
Aside from his roles at MARC and FSC, Leslie was also an accredited third-party independent certification consultant for the Alliance for Water Stewardship, a global membership collaboration that drives good water stewardship.
Leslie holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from Swinburne University of Technology Sawarak (SUTS), Malaysia.
Abdulla Al Hammadi serves as an Assistant Vice President with Moody's Financial Institutions Group. He is based in Dubai, where he oversees a portfolio of bank credit ratings across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, with a particular emphasis on Islamic financial institutions.
Abdulla joined Moody’s in 2024. Prior to his tenure at Moody's, Abdulla was an Associate Director at Fitch Ratings, covering financial institution ratings in the Middle East. Before Fitch Ratings, he was with the Central Bank of Bahrain, handling prudential supervision for wholesale banks.
Abdulla is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and earned a First-Class Honours degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain. He authored a book titled "Principles of Financial planning, Investment & Trading" aimed at providing comprehensive overview on passive style investment portfolio.
Ibrahim works as Associate Lead Analyst, Sustainable Finance at Moody's Ratings and is primarily responsible for conducting external reviews on the frameworks of Green, Social and Sustainability-labelled financial instruments. Ibrahim has worked on issuing more than 30 Second Party Opinions covering sovereigns and issuers across APAC and Europe. His research coverage mainly includes the banking, real estate, commodities, and utilities sectors.
Prior to Moody's, Ibrahim was a lead researcher at NUS Business School's Centre for Governance and Sustainability, publishing ESG indices covering APAC markets. He has co-authored numerous industry reports in corporate governance, sustainability, and family business domains and has been a regular speaker promulgating good governance and responsible investing in the region.
Ibrahim holds a Master of Business Administration (Strategy) and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy), both from the National University of Singapore. He is a Chartered Accountant (CA) of Singapore, as well as a CFA Charterholder.
Nitish Bhojnagarwala is a Senior Vice President/Manager with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.
Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).
Eqhwan Mokhzanee Bin Muhammad is the CEO of AmBank Islamic Berhad. He plays a leading role in shaping and implementing the strategic and business trajectory of AmBank Islamic Berhad. His other responsibilities include:
• Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Financial Industry Collective Outreach
(FINCO)
• Co-Chairman of the Risk Management Sub-Committee of the BNM and SC-led Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3)
Experience
• Approximately 25 years of diverse financial services and corporate experience
• Career journey commenced at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London and thereafter joined the corporate advisory practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Kuala Lumpur
• Subsequently assumed various roles within local and foreign banks, gaining exposure to corporate banking, debt capital markets, corporate finance, financial advisory and real estate investment
• Corporate experience entailed corporate management, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), strategy development, and operational start-ups both domestically and internationally
• Invited as a speaker at conferences in Malaysia and abroad
• Developed award-winning and innovative Islamic financial structures
• Authored research papers on Islamic finance
• First Chairman of the industry-level working group responsible for developing sectoral guides for value-based intermediation (VBI) for the palm oil, renewable energy, and energy efficiency sectors, to facilitate financial institutions in assigning ESG ratings for investment and financing decisions
• Led AmBank Group’s sustainability/ESG agenda as AmBank Group Sustainability Champion from 2019 to May 2023
Leslie Jong Vui Min is an ESG/Sustainability Consultant at MARC Solutions Sdn Bhd. In this capacity, Leslie oversees all of the ESG/Sustainability initiatives under Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad (MARC).
His extensive experience in ESG includes over 10 years of assisting institutions perform comprehensive assessments in the areas of sustainability and forestry. Leslie was the Malaysian Country Manager for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global, nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting the responsible management of the world's forests.
Aside from his roles at MARC and FSC, Leslie was also an accredited third-party independent certification consultant for the Alliance for Water Stewardship, a global membership collaboration that drives good water stewardship.
Leslie holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from Swinburne University of Technology Sawarak (SUTS), Malaysia.
Nitish Bhojnagarwala is a Senior Vice President/Manager with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.
Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).
Christian de Guzman is a Senior Vice President with Moody’s Sovereign and Sub-Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereigns and multilateral development banks in Asia Pacific, including Japan, India and a number of Southeast Asian credits, while also managing the team responsible for sub-sovereign ratings in Asia ex-China.
Christian joined Moody’s in 2009, after working as a Senior Economist for the Monetary Authority of Singapore, covering ASEAN economies. He has also held various positions with the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, and Procter & Gamble in Singapore.
Christian was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Economics and Political Science at the University of Georgia and received his M.A. in International Economics and Southeast Asian Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Abdulla Al Hammadi serves as an Assistant Vice President with Moody's Financial Institutions Group. He is based in Dubai, where he oversees a portfolio of bank credit ratings across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, with a particular emphasis on Islamic financial institutions.
Abdulla joined Moody’s in 2024. Prior to his tenure at Moody's, Abdulla was an Associate Director at Fitch Ratings, covering financial institution ratings in the Middle East. Before Fitch Ratings, he was with the Central Bank of Bahrain, handling prudential supervision for wholesale banks.
Abdulla is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and earned a First-Class Honours degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain. He authored a book titled "Principles of Financial planning, Investment & Trading" aimed at providing comprehensive overview on passive style investment portfolio.
CJ Wong is an Analyst with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group.
Based in Singapore, CJ covers a portfolio of banks and non-bank financial institutions in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Vietnam
Prior to joining Moody’s, CJ worked as a research analyst in the Dividend Forecasting team at IHS Markit, where he was responsible for providing estimates on financial institutions and corporates in Australia and Singapore.
CJ holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of Sydney, majoring in Finance and Economics. He is a CFA Charterholder.
Ibrahim works as Associate Lead Analyst, Sustainable Finance at Moody's Ratings and is primarily responsible for conducting external reviews on the frameworks of Green, Social and Sustainability-labelled financial instruments. Ibrahim has worked on issuing more than 30 Second Party Opinions covering sovereigns and issuers across APAC and Europe. His research coverage mainly includes the banking, real estate, commodities, and utilities sectors.
Prior to Moody's, Ibrahim was a lead researcher at NUS Business School's Centre for Governance and Sustainability, publishing ESG indices covering APAC markets. He has co-authored numerous industry reports in corporate governance, sustainability, and family business domains and has been a regular speaker promulgating good governance and responsible investing in the region.
Ibrahim holds a Master of Business Administration (Strategy) and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy), both from the National University of Singapore. He is a Chartered Accountant (CA) of Singapore, as well as a CFA Charterholder.
