Dear readers,
A warm welcome to 2025. The dawn of a new year always brings a fresh start and a buzz of excitement. At INCEIF University, we’re proud to announce a list of new initiatives in 2025.
At the organisational level, we have successfully kicked off our new 3-year strategic plan (2025–2027). Grounded on four strategic pillars:
â–ª shaping responsible future leaders for academia and industry;
â–ª driving scholarly insights and impactful solutions;
â–ª strengthening global standing; and
â–ª enhancing innovation and productivity,
INCEIF University aims to be the thought leader in shaping the Islamic economy and financial domain.
INCEIF University’s research arm, ISRA Institute (formerly known as ISRA Research Management Centre), has expanded its scope. Two additional new centres of excellence (CoE) have been established: CoE for Applied Shariah (CASHiEF) and CoE for Research and Innovation in Islamic Economics (i-RISE), complementing the existing CoE for Islamic Social Finance. The Research Management & Publication Department is now called Research Management Centre (RMC).
With the broadened scope and revived strategic directions, ISRA Institute aims to bolster its global reputation and leadership in Islamic economics and finance by offering innovative solutions, breakthrough research, and academic programmes that support talent development and capacity building. As the imprint of INCEIF University, ISRA Institute will continue to produce and publish high-impact research outputs including books, research papers, reports, policy insights, case studies, and journals. The institute will also focus on securing research grants and increasing the number of fundamental and applied research projects. Efforts to secure national and global research awards are underway, with a goal of achieving recognition to further enhance its prestige.
Before we start the new journey, IF HUB Issue 1 2025 recaps key achievements of INCEIF University and ISRA Institute over the past one year. In addition, our young talents, Nur Aiman Syakirah Mohd Izhar and Muhammad Shakir Aizat Azman, assess the performance of the Islamic finance industry in 2024 and provide their forecasts for 2025. Dr Marjan Muhammad reviews the landmark developments of sustainability within the Islamic finance sphere in 2024 and provides an outlook on their prospects in 2025.
Until we meet again in the next issue, we hope that 2025 will mark another year of success to INCEIF University’s community and everyone. May Allah bless all our efforts in this life for an ultimate triumph in the hereafter.
