Meet Youness Abidou, founder and CEO of Nester, a Sharia-compliant real estate investment platform in the UK. He shares insights on navigating the regulatory landscape, the challenges of Islamic finance, and his vision for addressing financial gaps in the Muslim community.

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00:00 - Coming up

02:17 - Introduction and banking career 

07:41 - Discovering Islamic Finance

12:25 - Community demand for Islamic Finance

18:29 - Meeting co-founder Mohammed Paracha.

24:40 - British Muslims’ problems and Nester as a solution

28:59 - Early days and teething problems 

32:28 - Islamic vs Ethical branding 

38:11 - How Nester works for businesses 

44:51 - How Nester raises money from the crowd

48:35 - Commodity Murabaha and controversy 

53:17 - Getting a new license just for Nester 

56:32 - Funding rounds and first transactions 

59:12 - Future plans, and expansion to Saudi Arabia.

1:06:07 - Thoughts on the state of Islamic finance and community needs.

1:11:44 - Youness’ vision for Nester’s legacy and community impact.