I offer zoom and in-person consultations concerning the key principles of usury and finance found in the Holy Books and an overview of the existing Islamic financial products and services available in the market: Camille Paldi of Center for Holy Book Financ

“There is no reason why American companies should miss out on this unique financing opportunity.”

Center for Holy Book Finance, or CHBF, focuses on the research and teaching of a form of finance based on principles derived from the Quran, Torah, and Bible. This emerging form of finance encourages the involvement of all followers of the Abrahamic faiths, comprising Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

As a representative of a collaborative movement, CHBF aims to reshape the economy toward a more optimistic future by incorporating these principles into finance, banking, and economics.

Camille Paldi founded CHBF and currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer.

The Silicon Review got in touch with Camille Paldi for an interview, and here’s her response.

Interview Highlights

Please tell us about the circumstances or events that led to the founding of CHBF.

In 2013, during my time as a student in the Islamic Finance program at Durham University, I presented the idea of Holy Book Finance at a conference on Islamic Banking and Finance held at Oxford University in the UK. I believe Islamic finance should be expanded to include all of the people of the Book, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The messages of the Holy Books were never meant to divide the believing people. This is an opportunity to reunite under the common cause of banking, finance, and economics. In Holy Book Finance, the people of the Book cooperate to find solutions for banking and finance crises and to create new products for our financial system, among other things.

Q. How does CHBF integrate the teachings of the Holy Books to help organizations, businesses, and institutions improve their financial literacy?

As you may already know, there is a bustling Islamic finance industry worldwide, which is a financial concept based on the teachings of the Qu’ran and the Shari’ah. The same kind of industry can be developed for Holy Book Finance, utilizing the teachings of the Written and Oral Torah and the Bible as a whole. The Torah and Bible both also contain passages about usury, financial concepts, and wisdom, which can also be used to create a vibrant alternative economy that benefits humanity. It is interesting to note not only how the stories, events, and characters of the Holy Books correspond and correlate with each other, but also how the concepts of usury and finance interconnect with each other throughout the Holy Books. The Holy Books may be much more connected to each other than we realize.

Q. Can you introduce us to your services? What are their key features?

I offer zoom and in-person consultations concerning the key principles of usury and finance found in the Holy Books and an overview of the existing Islamic financial products and services available in the market. Depending on client wishes, I can focus on a particular Holy Book, topic, or concept. For example, sukuk or Islamic bond may be of interest to American companies wishing to gain capital for their businesses or for the government to raise funds for existing or future programs. This instrument has raised billions of dollars to date for companies and governments in the Islamic world and for those non-Islamic countries engaging with this sphere of the planet. There is no reason why American companies should miss out on this unique financing opportunity. Furthermore, American businesspeople may have a duty to look into such modes of alternative and faith-based financing, just as they may have a duty to shareholders to maximize profit. To date, American companies such as General Electric and East Cameron Gas have issued sukuk. I can act as a conduit to such knowledge, providing a background from which people can spring forward into action. Center for Holy Book Finance also plans to engage in funded research and writing, events, trainings, webinars, workshops, conferences, and events.

Q. Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up?

I believe the time is now for interfaith cooperation in the banking, finance, and economics sectors. In these tumultuous times, which, according to Center for Holy Book Finance, may be a side effect of the current banking system, it is more important than ever to cooperate to find solutions for banking and financial crises.

Camille Paldi, Founder & CEO

Camille Paldi is the former CEO and founder of the Franco-American Alliance for Islamic Finance (FAAIF) in Dubai, UAE, from 2013–2017 and is a graduate of Colgate University, the London School of Economics, the University of Hawaii, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and Durham University (UK). She holds degrees in finance and law and has completed the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test in London, UK, in June of 2013. Paldi has studied Islamic finance in the UK, UAE, Pakistan, and Bahrain. She has traveled the Islamic world extensively and has a solid foundation in religion, finance, and law from which to lead the movement of Holy Book Finance for the world.

Paldi is currently a Certificate Candidate in Inter-religious studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, USA. In this certificate program, Paldi is engaging in an in-depth study of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Art and Religion. Paldi has also studied religion at the Yale Divinity Summer School, located in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, in the summer of 2023.

Camille Paldi can be reached at camille@holybookfinance.com or +1 650 250 6839. The website for Center for Holy Book Finance can be found at https://www.holybookfinance.com.

I believe the time is now for interfaith cooperation in the banking, finance, and economics sectors. In these tumultuous times, which, according to Center for Holy Book Finance, may be a side effect of the current banking system, it is more important than ever to cooperate to find solutions for banking and financial crises.