Islamic finance industry is projected to reach $4.94 trillion in 2025 according to the Islamic Finance Development Indicator (IFDI) 2021 released today by Refinitiv, a London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) business.
The report highlighted new trends this year, including the expansion of the fintech industry and digital banks led by Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE. The Southeast Asian nations Malaysia and Indonesia retained their top rankings for the second year in a row.
According to the report, global assets for the industry maintained double-digit growth, rising 14% to $3.374 trillion in 2020. Sukuks, the second-biggest sector in Islamic finance, grew by 16% in 2020 driven by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Southeast Asia.
The report indicated that Saudi Arabia’s Islamic finance assets soared by 18% in 2020 to $826 billion. With developments in governance as well as its leading position on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) indicator, Saudi Arabia’s IFDI score rose from 64 in 2019 to 74 in 2020, pushing it from fifth into third place behind Malaysia and Indonesia.
Ventje Rahardjo, Executive Director of National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS), Indonesia, said: “Indonesia successfully maintained its second place on the IFDI 2021. The country managed to get higher scores in most indicators mainly education, research, awareness and government support. We will continue growing the Islamic financial industry as part of our strategy to strengthen our national economic resilience.”
“The Islamic finance industry continues to attract new players and evolve its products and services to become a more active participant in the world’s march towards achieving climate goals” said Mustafa Adil, Head of Islamic Finance, Refinitiv, a London Stock Exchange Group business.
