IsDB Institute expands Islamic finance support with US$4.14m in new projects

The Islamic Development Bank Institute approved 25 new technical assistance projects worth US$4.14m in 2025, as it expanded support for Islamic finance transformation across member countries.

The figures were disclosed in the institute’s 2025 Annual Report, released during the IsDB Group Annual Meetings in Baku. The report shows IsDBI also completed 19 projects worth US$3m during the year.

Since 2013, the institute’s Islamic finance interventions have reached more than US$27.57m across 181 projects in over 34 countries.

The report highlights progress in three flagship projects: Awqāf Free Zones, Digital Postal Islamic Financial Services and the Smart Countertrade System. All have advanced to pilot-ready stages and are designed to support financial inclusion, food and energy security, and trade resilience.

The Smart Countertrade System is particularly relevant for trade finance markets, as countries and businesses look for mechanisms that can support trade flows during periods of currency pressure, sanctions risk and payment disruption.

IsDBI also expanded its work on digital innovation, including improvements to its Islamic Finance Artificial Intelligence Assistant and its first AI Hackathon on Islamic finance.

Dr Sami Al-Suwailem, acting director general of IsDBI, said the institute had strengthened its role by bridging knowledge creation, human capital development and practical solutions for economic challenges.

For development finance markets, the report shows Islamic finance institutions continuing to move beyond traditional capacity-building into digital infrastructure, countertrade and inclusive financial systems.