KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank Islamic Bhd has been named Global Islamic Bank of the Year 2026 by financial publication The Banker, marking the fifth time it has received the accolade since 2015.
In its May/June 2026 edition, The Banker described Maybank Islamic as “the apex of global Islamic banking”, citing its RM390bil asset base, ecosystem-driven approach and growth prospects.
The bank also won The Banker’s Islamic Bank of the Year for Sustainability and Retail Bank of the Year for Asia awards.
Maybank Islamic, the largest Islamic bank by assets outside the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets, accounted for 72.4% of Maybank Malaysia’s total loans and financing as at Dec 31, 2025. It also held about 30% of Malaysia’s Islamic banking assets.
The Banker highlighted the bank’s efforts in building Shariah-compliant ecosystems beyond traditional financing, including halal facilitation initiatives that disbursed more than RM369mil in Islamic financing in 2025 and supported over 200 halal certification applications.
Maybank Group Islamic Banking mobilised RM34.54bil in sustainable Islamic finance across Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in 2025, representing about 60% of the group’s total sustainable finance.
The publication also noted the bank’s social finance initiatives, which benefited more than 89,000 households across ASEAN through zakat distribution during the year.
In addition, The Banker cited the growth of Salaam Market, a Shariah-compliant business-to-business halal marketplace launched in late 2024. The platform has onboarded more than 9,000 buyers and sellers, generated RM8.3mil in transaction value and attracted RM220mil in deposits, with operations expanded to Singapore.
In a statement, group chief executive officer of Islamic Banking and chief executive officer of Maybank Islamic, Mohamad Yasin Abdullah said the award reflected the success of Maybank Group’s M25+ strategy and the bank’s ability to leverage its regional presence to deliver value to customers and stakeholders.
“As we move forward, guided by our ROAR 30 aspirations, we are focused on delivering top-quartile performance, accelerating digital and ecosystem leadership, and strengthening our leadership in sustainable and inclusive Islamic finance.
