Malaysian Abdul Wahid Honoured With Saleh Kamel Award In Madinah

By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia Bhd chairman Abdul Wahid Omar has been conferred the prestigious Saleh Kamel Award for Islamic Economics at the 45th AlBaraka Islamic Economics Symposium in Madinah.

He was among 10 Islamic banking pioneers bestowed the award, held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Islamic banking development.

The Prince of Madinah, Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, presented the award, marking a momentous occasion that recognised decades of contribution to the advancement of Islamic finance.

Wahid attended the April 16-17 symposium as a moderator and speaker. He described the recognition as unexpected yet deeply meaningful, especially as the event was held in the holy city of Madinah.

“I am indeed honoured and humbled by this award. It is a recognition not only of the people in the various financial services entities I have worked with such as Bursa Malaysia, Malayan Banking Bhd, Permodalan Nasional Bhd, Amanah Capital Group Bhd and Bumiputra Merchant Bankers Bhd but also for Malaysia and the regulators -- Bank Negara Malaysia (Malaysia’s Central Bank), Securities Commission -- and the entire Islamic finance fraternity.

“Malaysia indeed has been at the forefront in the development of Islamic banking, finance and capital markets. I hope this will further inspire the fraternity to strive even further and innovate in support of a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable world,” he told Bernama on Thursday.

The Saleh Kamel Award for Islamic Economics was established to commemorate the pioneering contributions of the late Sheikh Saleh Kamel and to promote excellence in research. It aims to support specialised academic production, highlight emerging talent in Islamic finance and jurisprudence, and expand the global influence of Islamic banking.

-- BERNAMA