Dr. Umar A. Oseni is a distinguished arbitrator, mediator, and global expert in dispute resolution, currently serving as the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Arbitration Centre in Istanbul. With a career spanning high-level multilateral governance, academia, and legal practice, he is a leading authority on the intersection of international law, financial technology, and Islamic finance.
Dr. Oseni’s dispute resolution expertise is vast, covering International Investment and Commercial disputes, TMT arbitration, and emerging sectors such as Blockchain, AI, and Fintech (including SAFE agreements). He is globally recognized for his specialization in Islamic Finance and Structured Finance disputes, including Sukuk and syndicated financing, and frequently serves as a neutral in cases involving Arab and Islamic law jurisdictions.
Previously, Dr. Oseni was the Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM), a multilateral financial organization. His leadership extends to several high-level boards, including the Governance and Ethics Board of AAOIFI, the Financial Regulation Advisory Council of Experts of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Advisory Board of the UN International Organization for Migration’s Islamic Philanthropy Fund.
A prolific thought leader, Dr. Oseni has published over 100 works on various aspects of dispute resolution, comparative international law, Islamic finance law. His recent books include Islamic Contract Law (Oxford University Press, 2024) and the pioneering Fintech in Islamic Finance (Routledge, 2019). He has held academic positions as an Associate Professor of International and Comparative law at IIUM and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in dispute management.
Dr. Oseni holds a PhD in Law (court-annexed ADR) and Master of Comparative Law (Maritime arbitration) from IIUM, a Professional Master of Law in Financial Laws from York University, Canada, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). As a Harvard-certified negotiator, he continues to consult for major global bodies, including the Islamic Development Bank, central banks and various United Nations agencies.
