KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd has been named the World's Best Islamic Bank at the Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards 2026, becoming the first Malaysian bank to receive the global accolade since the award was introduced.
The bank, in a statement, said the recognition reflects its "Islamic-first" strategy, which integrates Shariah-compliant banking across its customer segments, digital platforms, capital markets capabilities and customer journeys.
Chief executive officer of Group Islamic Banking, Ahmad Shahriman Mohamad Shariff, said the award was a significant milestone for both CIMB Islamic and Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
"We are honoured to be recognised by Euromoney as the World's Best Islamic Bank 2026. As the first Malaysian bank since the inception of the award to receive this distinction, this is a proud milestone not only for CIMB Islamic, but also a recognition of Malaysia's achievement as a global leader in Islamic finance."
He said the achievement reflects the successful execution of the group's Forward30 strategy, under which Islamic banking is a key growth driver.
The recognition follows another year of growth across CIMB Islamic's consumer, wealth, commercial and wholesale banking businesses, alongside the expansion of its digital banking and wealth management ecosystem.
The bank also maintained its position as the largest global sukuk arranger among Asean-based banks for the 16th consecutive year as at end-2025.
Regionally, CIMB said the planned spin-off of Bank CIMB Niaga Syariah in Indonesia into a standalone entity would strengthen its ability to expand in the country and position it as the second-largest Islamic bank in Indonesia.
CIMB Islamic said it continues to expand its digitally enabled Islamic wealth offerings, supported by more than 80 Shariah-compliant unit trust funds, while growing its sustainable Islamic finance solutions focused on environmental and social impact.
