Yogyakarta – The Islamic Accounting Student Association, FEBI, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta held a national webinar with the theme “Together with Islamic Audit, Create Indonesia a Center for Islamic Finance 2024.” The webinar was held on Thursday, October 14, 2021, online via the Zoom meeting platform. This national webinar served as the opening event for the 4th Sharia Accounting Fair (4th SAF), an annual event held by Islamic Accounting Student Association.

This national webinar has been certified for 4 SKP (Credit Point) and attended by over 350 participants from diverse backgrounds, including students, academics, professional accountants, practitioners, and the general public. Notably, the participants of this webinar hailed from a variety of campuses across Indonesia, such as Islamic University of Indonesia, Brawijaya University, Lambung Mangkurat University, Udayana University, Surabaya State University, Mataram University, Bandung Islamic University, Tarumanegara University, and several other campuses in Indonesia.

The event commenced with an opening, followed by the recitation of the holy verses of the Qur’an, rendition of the Indonesian national anthem and the UIN SUKA hymn, speeches, prayers, the webinar, and the closing. The speeches at this event were delivered by Mr. Abdur Rozaq, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Muhammad Wahfudin, the Chairman of HMPS Islamic Accounting, Mr. Rosyid Nur Anggara Putra, S.Pd., M.Si., the Head of the Islamic Accounting Study Program, and Dr. Afdawaiza, S.Ag., M.Ag, the Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta.

“This webinar is expected to delve deeper into Islamic Accounting, particularly in the realm of audit. By featuring knowledgeable speakers, we can gain insight into the evolution of Sharia audit in the contemporary era, confronted with numerous challenges. Islamic banking stands as one of the institutions that utilizes Sharia audit to ensure compliance with Sharia principles. However, Sharia audit encounters various challenges, including a lack of recognized credibility, Indonesian accountants’ ongoing search for robust guidelines, hindering the development of the audit. Additionally, the competence of Sharia auditors is not uniformly balanced, leading to continued questioning of the qualification of Sharia audit. Therefore, sharia audit poses a significant challenge for Indonesia’s future,” said Dr. Afdawaiza, S.Ag., M.Ag, the Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business.

This event featured a keynote speaker and three highly competent speakers in the fields of economics, audit, and Sharia finance. The keynote speaker for this event was Prof. Mahfud Sholihin, S.E., M.Acc., Ph.D., Ak., CA., the Chairman of the Sharia Accounting Standards Board of the Indonesian Institute of Accountants. The three speakers in this webinar were:

1. Eri Hariyanto, S.E., M.Si (Expert Staff Instructor at the General Financial Training Center of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia)

2. Dr. Ahim Abdurrahim, S.E., M.Si., Ak., CA., SAS. (Coordinator of the Sharia Accountants Division of the Indonesian Institute of Accountants in Yogyakarta)

3. Dr. F. Ahmad Kurniawan, Ak. CA., CPA., ACPA. (Lecturer at Trunojoyo Madura University and Partner at PAF Erfan & Rakhmawan)

The discussion and presentation of the material were led by Mrs. Yayu Putri Senjani, S.E., M.Sc., A-CPA, serving as the moderator and lecturer of the Sharia Accounting Study Program, FEBI, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. To open the discussion, the keynote speaker, Prof. Mahfud Sholihin, S.E., M.Acc., Ph.D., Ak., CA, delivered a presentation on Indonesia’s position in Sharia Economics and Finance, the model and procedure for the development of Sharia Accounting Standards in Indonesia, the latest advancements in Sharia Accounting Standards, Sharia auditing, and the relationship between presenters, users, auditors, and financial reports.

The first speaker, Mr. Eri Hariyanto, S.E., M.Si., discussed the development of Sharia finance in Indonesia, commencing with the transformation from KNKS to KNEKS. KNEKS plays a role as a facilitator and catalyst for the meeting of demand and supply in the halal industry, thus fostering a halal ecosystem and readiness for the halal industry in Indonesia. He also elaborated on the literacy challenges faced by the population, particularly emphasizing the need to enhance public understanding of Sharia principles in order to foster the growth of Sharia finance in Indonesia.

The second speaker, Dr. Ahim Abdurrahim, S.E., M.Si., Ak., CA., SAS., presented material from an academic perspective regarding the strategic role of Sharia audit and review, an overview of financial and Sharia audits, types of Sharia audits, compliance parameters with Sharia principles, identification of transaction needs in accordance with the Fatwa DSN, and the acquisition, identification, and assessment of transaction evidence.

The third speaker, Dr. F. Ahmad Kurniawan, Ak. CA., CPA., ACPA., presented material from a practitioner’s perspective, focusing on the audit of Sharia institutions, the principles of Sharia institutions, the role of public accounting firms and auditors in Islamic thought, public accountants and auditors, the scope of the audit, the objectives of auditing financial reports, and the challenges of Sharia institution audit practices.
Following the presentation of all the material, the discussion advanced into a lively question and answer session involving both the participants and speakers. The session featured a range of intriguing questions from the participants.

With the holding of this national webinar, it is hoped that it can increase insight and knowledge about Sharia finance, particularly Sharia audit in Indonesia. The 4th Sharia Accounting Fair 2021 will feature a range of events, including a charity event, Sharia accounting olympiad, public lectures, and the closing ceremony.

(Khusnul Zulmiati)