
Islamic finance covers roughly $2.8 trillion in assets worldwide, yet only a sliver of sustainable loans today are sharia-compliant. But Datuk Shahril Azuar Jimin, Maybank’s chief sustainability officer, thinks that gap should be easy to fill.
“Islamic finance and sustainable finance are both values-based systems,” Shahril tells Fortune. “Islamic finance emphasizes social justice, welfare, and the avoidance of harm, and these three principles align naturally with ESG and sustainability.”