Bandar Seri Begawan, 11th: Brunei Darussalam has maintained its global 13th position in the 2025 Islamic Finance Development Index (IFDI), highlighting the resilience and steady growth of the country’s Islamic finance sector. The achievement was announced by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) and reflects Brunei’s continued efforts to strengthen its Islamic financial ecosystem.
The ranking is based on 2024 data, with Brunei recording a total score of 31 points in 2025, an increase from 29 points in 2024. During the same period, the global average IFDI score declined from 12 points to 11 points, underscoring Brunei’s strong performance compared to global trends.
The results were published in the “2025 Islamic Finance Development Report: 50 Years of Exponential Growth,” jointly released by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). The report assesses Islamic finance development across 140 countries worldwide, including South Sudan, Jamaica, Kosovo, and Lesotho, which were evaluated for the first time in 2025.
According to the report, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates continue to lead as the world’s top three Islamic financial markets. Iraq entered the top 15 for the first time in 2025, ranking 14th with a score of 30 points, replacing Nigeria, which previously held a position among the leading countries.
The IFDI assessment is based on five key indicators: financial performance, governance, sustainability, public awareness, and knowledge dissemination. The report noted that global Islamic finance assets reached USD 6 trillion in 2024, representing a 21 percent increase from 2023. Islamic banking accounted for 72 percent of total assets, followed by Sukuk at 17 percent, Islamic funds at 5 percent, other Islamic financial institutions at 3 percent, and Takaful at 2 percent.
Brunei demonstrated strong progress in several areas, particularly in the Takaful sector, where it ranked 10th globally with assets valued at USD 500 million. The country also recorded a significant improvement in public awareness, with its score rising from 24 points in 2024 to 44 points in 2025, driven largely by increased media coverage of Islamic finance.
In terms of governance, Brunei maintained a perfect score in the “Regulations” sub-indicator, contributing to an increase in its overall governance score from 71 points in 2024 to 72 points in 2025. Although the financial performance score declined slightly to 9 points, the overall assessment indicates that Brunei continues to maintain positive momentum in advancing its Islamic finance sector.
Looking ahead, the report forecasts that global Islamic finance assets are expected to reach USD 9.7 trillion by 2029, reflecting the sector’s sustained growth potential and increasing global appeal. Brunei’s consistent performance places the country in a strong position to benefit from future opportunities in the global Islamic finance industry.