Manila, Philippines, 5^th February 2026 — The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), through its Kuala Lumpur Center of Excellence (KLCoE), successfully concluded a mission to the Philippines from 1–4 February 2026, participating in the 5th International Islamic Finance Conference (IIFC). The mission reaffirmed the IsDB Group’s commitment to advancing financial inclusion, ethical finance, and community-driven development, in line with the IsDB Strategic Framework 2026–2035.

Organized by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines, the Conference served as a key platform for dialogue among government officials, regulators, development partners, and industry practitioners on strengthening the Islamic finance ecosystem in the Philippines and the wider ASEAN region.

Representing the IsDB Group, Mr. Samer Elesawi, Head of the IsDB Kuala Lumpur Center of Excellence, participated as a panelist in a session focused on Islamic Social Finance as a catalyst for community-driven development. In his intervention, he outlined the IsDB Group’s overall approach to Islamic finance and Islamic social finance as instruments for inclusive, ethical, and impact-driven development, drawing on selected examples of IsDB initiatives.

During the Conference, representatives of the Government of the Philippines, including the Ministry of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the NCMF, acknowledged the IsDB Group’s sustained support to Muslim communities in the country and its positive development impact, and expressed interest in continued collaboration.

In line with its broader mandate, the IsDB Group reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Muslim communities in non-Member Countries through targeted community outreach and social development interventions focused on education, health, humanitarian assistance, scholarships, and institutional support.