Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 25 April 2025 – IsDB’s Kuala Lumpur Center of Excellence held a productive bilateral discussion with Asian Development Bank (ADB), where they discussed strategic partnerships to advance Islamic finance and infrastructure development in ASEAN Countries.

This collaboration aims to drive green and resilient growth across the region through innovative financing solutions. The partnership was explored during a bilateral meeting held at the KLCoE premises, where delegates discussed the potential for Islamic finance principles to unlock vital capital for sustainable infrastructure projects.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Samer Elesawi, (Head of IsDB KLCoE), Mr. Syed Faiq Najeeb, Mr. Mohd Takyuddin bin Yahya and virtually joined by Mr. Yerzhan Jalmukhanov of IsDB Regional Hub in Jakarta. While the ADB side was represented by Mr. Alfredo Perdiguero, (Director, Regional Cooperation & Operations Coordination Division) and Mr. Gary Krishnan.

The initiative aligns with the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund's (AIF) Action Plan (2025-2028), which focuses on meeting the significant infrastructure demands within ASEAN member states while promoting environmental sustainability

A key highlight was an invitation and proposal by the ADB team that the Center consider developing and delivering specialized training and capacity-building programs for stakeholders involved with the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund (AIF).

The proposed training would focus on leveraging Islamic finance solutions to support sustainable infrastructure development projects across the ASEAN region. This initiative aligns with the recently launched AIF Action Plan (2025-2028), which includes exploring innovative financing mechanisms to meet the significant infrastructure demands within ASEAN member states while promoting green and resilient growth.

The discussion underscored the potential for Islamic finance principles, such as asset-backing and risk-sharing, to unlock vital capital for infrastructure projects that are crucial for the region's economic development and environmental sustainability goals. The KLCoE, with its focus on Islamic Finance and leveraging Malaysia's expertise in the field, is well-positioned to provide valuable insights and technical knowledge on this cause.

Both sides acknowledged the importance of collaboration between development partners to address complex regional challenges. This potential capacity-building initiative represents a concrete step towards harnessing diverse financial tools to support the AIF's mandate and contribute to a more sustainable and interconnected ASEAN. Further discussions are expected to explore the modalities and scope of this potential training program.