Author Archives: Usman Hayat, CFA

Usman Hayat, CFA, writes about sustainable, responsible, and impact investing and Islamic finance. He is the lead author of "Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues in Investing: A Guide for Investment Professionals;" the literature review, "Islamic Finance: Ethics, Concepts, Practice;" and the research report "Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing and Islamic Finance: Similarities and Differences." He is interested in online learning and has directed three e-courses for CFA Institute: "ESG-100," "Islamic Finance Quiz," and "Residual Income Equity Valuation." The other topics he writes about are macroeconomics and behavioral finance. He has experience working in securities regulation and as an independent consultant. His qualifications include the CFA charter, the FRM designation, an MBA, and an MA in development economics. He has served as a content director at CFA Institute. He is a former executive director at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and former CEO of the Audit Oversight Board (Pakistan). His personal interests include reading and hiking.

Roubini: Robust US Growth, Bumpy Landing for China, and No Grexit

Nouriel Roubini delivered the closing keynote address on the global economic outlook at the 2015 CFA Institute Middle East Investment Conference in Kuwait. Read More

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Investors: Learn to Make Better Decisions

Behavioural finance coach, Paul Craven, shares practical measures investment professionals can take to address their behavioural biases at the 2015 CFA Institute Middle East Investment Conference in Kuwait. Read More

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Middle East Market Sentiment Survey: Equities to Have Highest Total Return in 2015

Ahead of the 2015 Middle East Investment Conference in Kuwait on 10 February 2015, CFA Institute conducted their fifth annual Middle East Market Sentiment Survey. Read More

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Islamic Finance Should Contribute More to Sustainable Economic Development: Volker Nienhaus

There is much potential for Islamic finance to promote sustainable economic development through such approaches as widening access to finance (including microfinance), financing infrastructure projects, and expanding the reach of takaful (Islamic insurance). Read More

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Investment Professionals in MENA Expect Growth in 2014

Investment professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) expect the local economies to grow and think that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar present the best growth potential and investment opportunities in 2014. Read More

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Islamic Finance is Growing Fast but Faces the Form-Versus-Substance Debate

Ibrahim Warde, adjunct professor at Tufts University, argued that since the 1990s, Islamic finance has gained much more international acceptability but that it continues to grapple with the fundamental form-versus-substance debate. Read More

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Impact Investing: Making a Financial and Social Return

Dr. Harry Hummels, professor of ethics, organisations, and society at Maastricht University, believes impact investing is about making both a financial return and a positive impact. Read More

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New Survey: Investment Professionals in MENA Favour Political Stability and Good Governance

CFA Institute has released the results of a survey that gauges opinions on the key issues currently facing investment markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Read More

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Islamic Finance: Bringing Ethics to the Center of Finance

Tarek El Diwany believes the core value proposition of Islamic Finance is to bring ethics to the center of finance and when this is achieved, everyone stands to gain. Read More

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Arab Spring: Good for the Economy?

Michael O’Sullivan of Credit Suisse argues that regime change can benefit both civil liberties and the economy. Read More

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