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The Middle East Global Advisors (MEGA), a leading financial intelligence platform spearheading the agenda of sustainable and inclusive finance, has announced that it will convene the second edition of the Global Ethical Finance Forum (GEFF) on September 13-14 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The GEFF will be held in partnership with Islamic Finance Council UK (UKIFC), and under the patronage of the Scottish Government.

The two institutions, MEGA and UKIFC, said the theme of the GEFF 2017 is, “Ethical Finance: Merging Profit and Purpose.” Scheduled to hold at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), the forum will bring together some of the influential global leaders in the banking, socially responsible investing (SRI), and environmental, social and governance (ESG) sectors, as well as faith-based financial institutions.

“GEFF 2017 will take stock of developments encompassing the responsible finance universe and raise awareness about the moral limits of financial markets which were highlighted during the recent financial crisis,” said Ehsan Abbas, Chairman of Middle East Global Advisors. “Whilst the core segments of ethical finance – Banking, SRI, ESG and Islamic finance – share the same values-based approach, they are separated by boundaries of geography, perception and methodology. Converging them onto one platform will strengthen the global value proposition of ethical finance.”

MEGA and UKIFC said Scotland is a fitting destination for hosting the GEFF 2017 due to the country’s strong heritage in ethical finance. Since the inaugural GEFF 2015, Scotland has forged ahead as a leader in ethical finance even as Glasgow-based UKIFC won the Ethical Finance Innovation and Challenge Award in the UAE. The world’s first interfaith joint financial services initiative between Muslims and Christians has since been being launched in Scotland. Also following the 2015 forum, the Al Rayan Bank, the United Kingdom-based commercial bank that offers Sharia compliant financial service products to customers of any faith, opened its first Scottish office.

“Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from GEFF 2015, we are delighted to bring the forum back to Edinburgh,” Omar Shaikh, Advisory Board Member of UKIFC, said. “We are committed to creating socially responsible and fairer economies and hosting GEFF 2017 will further Scotland’s reputation as a worldwide industry leader in ethical finance.”

The agenda at GEFF 2017 will include critical conversations on the intellectual and philosophical history of ethics in finance, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the case for ethical banking in developed and emerging markets, collaboration between Islamic and traditional responsible finance around climate-related initiatives, responsible financial innovation, and much more.

The organisers of the event said this year’s GEFF will take place within the context of the political developments in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe, where populist rhetorics have emerged. Some analysts have argued that the rise of populism has its roots in financial deregulation and the incentive system in the financial sector that enabled unethical behaviour. U.S. President, Donald Trump, has expressed views which appear to reinforce shareholder primacy and relegate ethical considerations. Therefore, the organisers said the time has come to demonstrate unity amongst individuals and organisations committed to financial inclusion, protecting natural resources and conducting business fairly.