Gatehouse Bank Shares Real-Estate Investment Knowledge at Dar Al-Hekma
Gatehouse Bank, a wholesale Shariah compliant investment bank based in the City of London, conducted a three-day course for Dar Al-Hekma MBA students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The course was delivered by Ms. Azeemeh Zaheer, Gatehouse Bank’s Head of Institutional Relationships and Mr. Mohammad Razzouqi, Assistant Vice President of Investments at its associate company Gatehouse Capital, based in Kuwait. Ms. Zaheer and Mr. Razzouqi have dedicated their time to teach an intensive course module on real estate from an investment perspective to 22 students from Dar Al-Hekma’s 2014 MBA class. The course, which started on Sunday 16th February 2014 was concluded with a small ceremony in which the students received certificates for successfully completing it.
The 16th of February marks the second occasion where Dar Al-Hekma’s MBA class have received this course as part of the ongoing partnership between Gatehouse Bank and Dar Al-Hekma University. To quote Ms. Zaheer, “Real-estate is one of the oldest asset classes in the world and by its nature is compatible with Islamic Banking. This course exposes the students to real-life investments and helps them analyse and understand it from a structural and originator perspective,” adding that “with the overwhelming number of women going into the workforce and 90% of them being responsible for financial decisions, financial literacy is not a luxury anymore.”
“The enthusiasm of the students from last year’s course made me come back, and the students’ passion on the topic touched me personally,” said Mr. Razzouqi. “One student told me, my family is involved in real estate, but I never understood half of the terms until I took this course.”
Based on research, Islamic Banking often appeals more to women as it takes fewer risks than conventional banking. This means that it often appeals to women who tend to be more financially risk averse than men. The research indicates that women conduct around 40% more research than men before taking an investment decision. Women also often tend to feel anxiety when investing while men often talk of a ‘rush’.
The main objective of Gatehouse Bank’s agreement with Dar Al-Hekma is to educate the next generation of female leaders about the worlds of Real Estate and Shariah Compliant Banking and to encourage more women to choose finance and banking as a career. “If you educate women about finance, you have paid dividends to the world,” said Ms. Zaheer.
Mr Fahed Boodai, Gatehouse Bank’s acting CEO and Chairman is pleased with everything that Dar Al-Hekma courses have achieved; “The board and I are very proud of the Gatehouse Bank team for being proactive and supportive to the learning journey of women. We are committed to provide real world experience and the right tools to help them make smart investment decisions throughout their life.”
Gatehouse Bank is based in London, and is authorised and regulated by the UK Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority and offers Shariah compliant wholesale banking services. The bank has two Gatehouse partners in Kuwait and Malaysia plus a partner company in Connecticut, US. Gatehouse Bank has extensive experience within global markets, having structured and realised quality transactions in the US, UK, and France which has exceeded initial investment returns projections.
Dar Al-Hekma, a female only university, tries to expose the students to all experiences that will help them grow, flourish, and standout. Islamic financing along other courses will help them get a clear and full understanding of different financial systems around the world. They make it a point to have the course delivered by field experts, such as Gatehouse Bank, to help the students understand the basics of real-estate investments and how it relates to Islamic financing.