Islamic Finance Heads Down Under: Australia Launches its First Islamic Finance E-Learning Program

Ethica Institute and La Trobe University Launch Australia's First Ever Islamic Finance E-learning Program

DUBAI, UAE, December 6, 2010 - How do you bring Islamic finance to the far corners of the world?
Ethica Institute in Dubai and La Trobe University in Australia have solved
this problem.

Today the leader in Islamic finance training and certification,
Ethica, announced the launch of a new Islamic finance for-credit course at
one of Australia's leading universities. This will be the first time ever
that a 100% online course in Islamic finance is offered as part of an
on-campus course. Enrolment for the award-winning Master of Islamic Banking
and Finance (MIBF) program is now open and online classes begin next month on
January 10, 2011.

The international education industry is Australia's largest services
export, contributing over 550,000 students and $12 billion annually to the
country's economy. Moreover, the Australian government actively began
promoting Islamic finance in recent years by exploring tax neutrality for
Shariah-compliant products.

La Trobe University's Associate Professor Ishaq Bhatti said, "With
Ethica, our Islamic finance program now extends far beyond our physical
campuses. For the first time ever, we now tap into the tremendous demand for
Islamic finance from students all over the world." This year, La Trobe's
Islamic finance program won numerous awards including the prestigious
Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Award for excellence.

Ethica's Managing Director, Atif Khan said, "E-learning is the best way
to address Australia's growing demand for certified Islamic finance
graduates. La Trobe is already a pioneer in the field with one of the
world's only Master’s programs in Islamic banking and finance, and now with
an e-learning component, they scalably grow their campus across the globe."

Earlier this year Mashreq Bank rolled out Ethica's e-learning program
across its entire Islamic banking network. Dow Jones affiliate Zawya.com and
New York based Banker's Academy also signed on with Ethica recently.

About Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance: In 2010, Ethica
(www.EthicaInstitute.com) was chosen by more professionals for Islamic
finance certification than any other organization in the world. The
Dubai-based institute received the award nomination for "Best Islamic Finance
Training Institution" in 2009 and 2010 by Islamic Business and Finance
Magazine. Ethica's clients include banks, universities, and professionals in
over 20 countries.

About La Trobe's Master of Islamic Banking and Finance (MIBF) Program:
Recipient of the prestigious ALTC 2010 Award, La Trobe's Islamic finance
program is the first university-level Islamic finance program in Australia.
Enrolment for the program is now open on a first-come, first served basis
with online classes beginning next month on January 10, 2011. To learn more,
visit www.latrobe.edu.au/lawman/ifpd or contact Almir Colan at
A.Colan@latrobe.edu.au.

For more information about this article, or to schedule an interview with
Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance, please call Sameer Hasan at
+9714-305-0782 or e-mail at info@ethicainstitute.com.

For more information about this article, or to schedule an interview with
Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance, please call Sameer Hasan at
+9714-305-0782 or e-mail at info at ethicainstitute.com.