[citation needed] GIFA was founded by the consulting firm Edbiz (and currently managed by Cambridge IFA) as part of its advocacy for Islamic banking and finance.
In 2017, GIFA Championship Awards were introduced to acknowledge services of some leading personalities and entities, which have played the role of a catalyst in their respective jurisdictions.
Previous winners of Islamic Finance Advocacy Awards include: Inaugurated in 2016, GIFA Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an exceptional leader for their lifetime contributions to Islamic banking and finance.
The winners include: Only a selected number of individuals are elected to receive the Prestige Awards, which recognise excellence in profession, leadership within an organisation and advocacy of Islamic banking and finance.
In the two years since their inception, the following institutions have been recognised for leadership in their respective sectors/sub-sectors: Other award winners are given in the table below: [1] For Global Research Excellence in Islamic Financial Criminology Over the years, Upcoming Personalities Awards have increased in number and significance, as the Table below demonstrates.