Kewangan sosial Islam berpotensi besar dibawa ke arus perdana

Malaysia Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Minister Zulkifli Hasan highlighted the immense potential of Islamic social finance as a tool to combat poverty, develop and boost the economy at the 2026 Multaqa Sidr Islamic Social Finance Conference today in Kuala Lumpur. The minister said the government will explore opportunities for collaboration and innovation with agencies, higher education institutions, and private parties to strengthen the sector.

"Alhamdulillah, with collaboration between government agencies, universities, and private parties, we will further strengthen and promote the growth of 'Islamic social finance'," he said after attending the Multaqa 2026 ceremony. He added that Islamic social finance has the potential not only to aid poverty alleviation efforts, but also to contribute to better development, growth and economic generation.

"Malaysia is now in a strong position in the Islamic economic and financial sphere, having received recognition as a leader in this field by the Global Islamic Economy Index for several consecutive years," Zulkifli noted. The government also emphasized the importance of governance and professionalism in developing Islamic social finance, including involving Islamic non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

"What I want to stress here is the collaboration between universities, higher education institutions, and the voluntary sector to modernize and strengthen the governance of NGOs, particularly at our level of expertise, which is to guide Islamic NGOs," he added. Islamic social finance encompasses instruments such as zakat, waqf, alms and interest-free loans, which can support social welfare, financial literacy and socio-economic development.

Last month, INCEIF University and the World Bank held a high-level discussion in Kuala Lumpur to explore ways to enhance the impact of Islamic social finance in poverty alleviation and economic mobility.