Announced at the GCBC’s Capacity Building Forum in Dubai (Dec 2024), the ISFI is a pioneering partnership between the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), Islamic Finance Council UK (UKIFC), HSBC Middle East, and Greenpeace MENA. It is designed to support the development of the ISF ecosystem against the backdrop of COP28 and the associated transformative regional pledges like the UAE Banks Federation’s AED 1 trillion commitment to sustainable finance by 2030 and DIFC’s goal to train 1 million sustainability leaders.

ISFI will seek to build the ecosystem for ISF through a structured systematic programme that focus on practical market issues. The programme builds on the previous work by GEFI and UKIFC in this thematic (HLWG for Green and Sustainable Sukuk, Project Tayyib Inspired, Global IF and UN SDGs Taskforce, etc.).

Core elements of the programme will include:

• Capacity building – 3 days in-person practitioner led programme targeted at professionals working in Islamic finance, including shariah scholars.
• Round tables – Focused round table sessions developing a harmonised understanding of key sustainability topics.
• Thought leadership – Insight papers and reports pushing intellectual boundaries, tackling controversial topics and addressing research gaps.
• Retail surveys – To understand customers expectations towards ISF

Global and local organisations are encouraged to engage and partner on the programme.

A practitioner-led capacity-building programme designed to empower Islamic finance stakeholders to integrate conventional sustainable finance frameworks within a Shariah-compliant context.

A fast-tracked learning opportunity combining focused training, practical workshops, and stakeholder engagement.

The program enhances financial capability and fosters a harmonized, sustainable Islamic finance ecosystem.

First Masterclass Series delivered from the 12th to the 14th of May at Heriot-Watt University, Dubai with more than 30 participants from the UAE, UK, Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Tayyib Fellowship is a prestigious 9-month virtual global leadership program that bridges Islamic finance and climate action. Going beyond halal to what is truly beneficial, this practitioner-led fellowship cultivates leaders who embrace a Tayyib approach, transcending compliance to actively pursue what brings profound benefit to society and the environment.

What You’ll Gain:

• Expert Knowledge: Learn from C-suite executives, leading Shariah scholars, and climate finance pioneers
• Global Network: Connect with 30+ emerging leaders across MENA, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America
• Practical Skills: Develop real-world Islamic sustainable finance solutions with implementation potential
• Certification: Receive formal ISFI Fellowship credentials recognized by partner institutions

Private round table engaging Islamic and sustainable finance leaders and aiming to develop a harmonised understanding on key topics specific to Islamic sustainable finance.  Click on each banner to read the summary insight write-up for each topic:

In support of and in collaboration with the GCBC Knowledge Hub, we have uploaded several reports and case studies about Islamic finance and sustainability to their platform.
You can access these resources by clicking here, or alternatively search “Islamic Finance” into the “All Topics” field of the Knowledge Hub

These include reports on topics such as Green Sukuk, SDGs and Responsible Islamic Investing as well as case studies highlighting Islamic finance and Renewable Energy. We encourage you to explore the full range of content available on the GCBC knowledge portal.

Below is a selection of recent and most prominent publications in Islamic finance. These reflect our commitment to delivering and sharing tailored research on various topics within the Islamic sustainable finance ecosystem.