Kuwait Finance House (KFH) is the World’s Best Islamic Financial Institution for 2026, according to Global Finance, which published its awards on 20 May 2026. KFH grew total assets 17% to US$139 billion in 2025. Other global winners included Boubyan Bank for innovation, Maybank Islamic for wealth management and Emirates Islamic Bank for sukuk and ESG.
How did Global Finance choose the winners?
According to its call for entries, Global Finance assessed performance from 1 January to 31 December 2025, looking at asset growth, profitability, geographic reach, strategic relationships, new business, product innovation, reputation and customer satisfaction, along with input from analysts and industry participants. It reported that Islamic financial institutions overall posted an average return on assets of 2% and asset growth of 12% in 2025, up from 1.9% and 9% the year before.
Why did Kuwait Finance House win?
Global Finance cited KFH’s 17% asset growth to US$139 billion, its position as the second-largest Islamic bank in the world, and its footprint across Kuwait, Türkiye, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Malaysia, the UK and Germany. It also pointed to KFH’s investment in digital governance, cyber risk management and fraud prevention. KFH’s own announcement said it won seven Global Finance awards in 2026, including best Islamic corporate bank, best for CSR, best project finance provider and best Islamic bank in Kuwait, Bahrain and Türkiye. See our KFH profile for background.
Who were the other key winners?
| Category | Winner | Reason cited by Global Finance |
|---|---|---|
| Most Innovative Islamic Bank | Boubyan Bank | AI assistant with voice interaction in Kuwaiti dialect; predictive AI across 25 transaction services |
| Best for Transaction Banking | Boubyan Bank | Digital tools for corporate treasury and cash planning |
| Best Islamic Wealth Manager | Maybank Islamic | MyWealth Islamic service grew more than 100% in 2025 |
| Best Islamic Trade Finance Provider | Maybank Islamic | iTrade Finance export platform combining LCs, FX, cash management and takaful |
| Best Islamic Private Bank | Dukhan Bank | Portfolio management across equities, sukuk and funds for wealthy clients |
| Best Islamic SME Bank | Dukhan Bank | Digital onboarding and payment acceptance for micro and small businesses |
| Best Sukuk Bank | Emirates Islamic Bank | US$500 million sustainability-linked sukuk |
| Best Islamic Bank for ESG | Emirates Islamic Bank | US$3.8 billion of sustainable finance, 16% of its financing book |
| Best Islamic Investment Bank | Qatar Islamic Bank | Sukuk structuring and capital markets work |
| Best Islamic International Bank | Standard Chartered Saadiq | Cross-border network |
| Best Islamic Takaful | Tawuniya | Takaful provision |
The full list is on Global Finance’s global winners page.
How do the Euromoney 2026 awards compare?
Euromoney’s 2026 Islamic Finance Awards named CIMB Islamic the world’s best Islamic bank. It also named HSBC the best sukuk house, HSBC Amanah the best Islamic structured finance house, Wafra the best Islamic fund manager, Standard Chartered Saadiq the best for wealth management, Bank Syariah Indonesia the best for ESG and Mashreq Al Islami the best Islamic digital bank. The two programmes use different categories and judging criteria, so a different overall winner is not a contradiction.
What do the awards say about the industry?
- Digital is now a core test. Boubyan’s AI tools won it two categories, and Global Finance named digitalisation and AI as major areas of focus for Islamic banks.
- Wealth management is growing fast. Maybank’s 100%-plus growth in Islamic wealth and Dukhan’s private banking win show demand moving beyond deposits and financing.
- Sukuk and ESG are linked. Emirates Islamic won both categories on the back of a sustainability-linked sukuk.
- Leadership is spread out. Winners came from Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and global banks, and the Euromoney list adds Indonesia.
FAQ
Global Finance named Kuwait Finance House the World’s Best Islamic Financial Institution 2026. Euromoney named CIMB Islamic the world’s best Islamic bank.
On 20 May 2026, based on 2025 performance.
Boubyan Bank of Kuwait.
