Dr Amel Makhlouf

Dr Amel Makhlouf is an independent counsel and arbitrator (Paris/London), specialising in international arbitration, banking and finance, Islamic law and finance, and laws of the Arab Middle East. 

Her research interests include comparative law, alternative dispute resolution, FinTech and cryptocurrency, Islamic contract law and its interaction with Western laws and legal systems. Besides, she has worked extensively on the historical transplantation of French law into the MENA region from the nineteenth century.

She has gained extensive experience in cross-border disputes and arbitral proceedings based in the MENA region. She has acted in arbitral proceedings conducted under the auspices of the ICC, HKIAC, DIAC, BCDR-AAA, as well as ad-hoc proceedings under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules across a wide range of sectors. She has experience of international arbitrations governed by various laws, notably those of Algeria, Bahrain, France, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Her diverse expertise encompasses mediating domestic and EU disputes involving consumers and traders in various sectors, including banking, construction, telecommunications and e-commerce. She has served as mediator in over 350 mediation proceedings.

Dr Amel Makhlouf is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb since 2019), a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL) of SOAS University of London and belongs to the Management Committee of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC). She is also a lecturer in both international arbitration and banking and finance at the Paris Bar School (EFB), as well as in international arbitration at the University of Toulouse (UTC). In addition to these roles, Dr. Makhlouf extends her expertise by serving on the Advisory Committee of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA) and the Advisory Board of the Arbitration Fund for African Students (AFAS).

She holds a PhD in Islamic law and finance from the Sorbonne Law School (2013) and was a Visiting Researcher at the Islamic Finance Project at Harvard University (Spring 2011). She is the former Managing Editor for the Country Surveys of the Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (Vol. 21 & 22), the leading English-language journal covering contemporary Islamic laws and laws of the Middle East, affiliated with SOAS University of London. In June 2023, she submitted a report to the Qatar Financial Centre addressing the challenges faced by the rise of FinTech and cryptocurrency in the MENA region. She is a national of Algeria and France.

Speaking Engagements

• 10 Nov. 2024, 'Women in FIRE' Afternoon Tea & Panel Session, TL4 (Dubai)
• 17 Oct. 2024, Annual CCLS Alumni Conference in Paris, Keynote address on 'The rise of FinTech in France and England: Unlocking arbitration for digital disputes', QMUL (Paris)
• 20 June 2024, Africa Arbitration Academy Anniversary Awards, SADRC, SOAS University of London (London)
• 20 March 2024, International dispute resolution & climate change: regional perspectives from Africa, LATAM, Middle East & Asia, Paris Arbitration Week (Paris)
• 12 March 2024, Tribunal secretaries in international arbitration: mission, tasks and practical guidelines, SADRC (London)
• 30 Jan. 2024, Arbitration in Jordan and Iran: Cross-cultural perspectives on IDR, SADRC (London)
• 25 Oct. 2023, Commercial arbitration: what opportunities are there for Algerian companies? (in French), Algiers
• 23 October 2023, Algiers Arbitration Day (Inaugural Arbitration Day), Algiers 
• 25 September 2023, London International Arbitration Colloquium 2023: ''State Sovereignty and Immunity in Commercial Arbitration", International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC), London
• 15 June 2023, SOAS-Qatar Financial Centre Workshop (by invitation), SOAS, University of London (London)
• 26 May 2023, The Use of Arbitration and ADR in International Banking and Trade Sectors, Keynote address on “Arbitration of Islamic finance disputes”, ICC-Union of Arab Banks Joint Conference, ICC Headquarters (Paris)
• 28 March 2023, FinTech and cryptocurrency disputes in Africa, Paris Arbitration Week (Paris).
• 15 March 2023, Arab-French Economic Summit 2023 (in French), French-Arab Chamber of Commerce (Paris)
• 8 March 2023, International Women’s Day 2023: Embracing Equity in the Middle East and Asia, SOAS, University of London (London)
• 17 Nov. 2022, Cryptocurrency disputes and enforceability of arbitral awards, Dubai Arbitration Week, Dubai.
• 15 & 16 June 2022, SOAS-Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Islamic Finance Workshop & Public Lecture on Cryptocurrencies, SOAS, University of London (London). 
• 18 March 2022, California International Arbitration Week. Keynote address on “The application of late payment charges (ta'widh & gharamah) in Islamic finance arbitration”, Webinar presented by Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC). 
• 12 Nov. 2024, Trade, Investment and Related Arbitration Between Africa and the Arab World, Dubai Arbitration Week (Dubai). My Topic: "Strengthening Ties Between Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and the GCC: Navigating Trade and International Commercial Arbitration". 

• International arbitration
• Cross-border disputes
• Banking and finance
• FinTech and Cryptocurrency
• Laws of the Arab Middle East
• Islamic law and finance
• Comparative law