When Finance Serves Society: Lessons from Islamic Social Finance

Could some of these centuries-old mechanisms inspire the way we think about social finance and impact in Europe today? Impact investing may sound contemporary, but the idea of mobilising private wealth for the common good is far from new. Long before the emergence of impact investing, social entrepreneurship or ESG finance, the Islamic economic tradition had developed a sophisticated ecosystem combining finance, solidarity, entrepreneurship and social welfare. Through instruments such as Zakat (mandatory wealth redistribution), Waqf (endowments dedicated to the common good), Takaful (mutual solidarity and risk-sharing), Islamic microfinance and other forms of ethical finance, resources were mobilised not only to alleviate poverty but also to finance education, healthcare, infrastructure, entrepreneurship and community development. In this Impact Monday, Islamic finance expert Mohamed Boulif will introduce this largely unknown ecosystem and explore a provocative question: Could some of these centuries-old mechanisms inspire the way we think about social finance and impact in Europe today? €5 to be paid in CASH at the entrance *includes a drink after the event