- Organized annually as a flagship side event of the Annual Meetings, this year’s Forum will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, financial experts, and other stakeholders in the Islamic finance industry
The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) is pleased to announce the 19th edition of the IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance to be held in Algiers, Algeria, on 20 May 2025, in conjunction with the IsDB Group Annual Meetings.
Organized annually as a flagship side event of the Annual Meetings, this year’s Forum will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, financial experts, and other stakeholders in the Islamic finance industry to deliberate on innovative tools to foster sustainable development.
Under the theme “Digital Transformation and Financial Inclusion in Islamic Finance”, this year’s forum is jointly organized by IsDB Institute, Kuala Lumpur Center of Excellence, Resilience and Climate Action Department, and Treasury Department.
The forum will have keynote speeches by H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of the IsDB Group; H.E. Salah Eddine Taleb, Governor of the Bank of Algeria; H.E. Mr. Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of Eurasian Development Bank (EDB); and H.E. Dr. Noureddine Ouadah, Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Micro Enterprises, Algeria.
Subsequently, the Forum will have two sessions. The first is a panel discussion on leveraging the potential of postal services and digital Islamic finance tools. The panelists for this session will include Mr. Ihab Zaghloul, Program Manager of Financial Inclusion at the Universal Postal Union (UPU); Dr. Mohammad Farrukh Raza, Group CEO of Islamic Finance Advisory & Assurance Services (IFAAS); and Dr. Ali Mohamed Bourouiba, Head of Innovation & Products Development at Al Salam Bank. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Hilal Houssain, Associate Manager of Knowledge Solutions at IsDBI.
The second session will showcase IsDB’s leadership in sustainable finance and explore the integration of Islamic finance principles in existing sustainable finance frameworks. The discussants will include Sheikh Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ali Elgari, Chairman of the IsDB Group Shariah Board; Mrs. Sharifatul Hanizah Said Ali, Executive Director of the Securities Commission Malaysia; and Dr. Ghiath Shabsigh, Secretary General of the Islamic Financial Services Board. The session will be moderated by Dr. Zamir Iqbal, IsDB Vice President (Finance) and CFO.
Additionally, the Forum will unveil two groundbreaking reports. The first, titled “Islamic Finance in Central Asia”, was developed in partnership with the Eurasian Development Bank. The second report, “Islamic Microfinance Toolkit”, is a collaborative effort with the IsDB Global Practice and Partnerships Directorate.
The IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance is an annual high-level forum initiated in 2006 as a platform for strategic policy dialogue on knowledge and innovation in Islamic finance and development.
