Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) recently organised the Muzakarah Syariah Kewangan Islam 2025, on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, at the Rizqun International Hotel. The Muzakarah was attended by members of the Syariah Financial Supervisory Board (SFSB) and Syariah Advisory Board (SAB) of Islamic financial institutions, as well as senior officers and representatives from BDCB and Islamic financial institutions.

Carrying the theme "Empowering the Syariah Workforce of the Local Islamic Finance Industry", the event highlighted the importance of building a competent, future-ready Syariah workforce, including the SAB and Syariah control officers, while addressing emerging challenges in supporting the growth and integrity of the Islamic finance industry.

The event commenced with a keynote address by Yang Mulia Hajah Rashidah binti Haji Sabtu, Managing Director of BDCB, who underscored BDCB’s mandate to safeguard financial stability through continuous regulatory and supervisory oversight in line with current developments. She highlighted that this includes the issuance of appropriate regulatory measures, including those relating to Syariah compliance, to ensure that the operations and activities of Islamic financial institutions adhere to Hukum Syara’. She further emphasised that effective implementation requires strong commitment from the SAB, management, and Syariah control functions as stipulated under the Syariah governance framework.

The programme continued with two presentations by BDCB that outlined key initiatives to strengthen and future-proof the Syariah profession in the Islamic finance industry. The first presentation outlined short-, medium-, and long-term development strategies to build a stronger pool of Syariah advisers through regulatory support, capacity building, research collaboration, and international exposure. This was followed by the introduction of a draft Syariah Advisor Competency Framework, which provides clear guidance on the knowledge and competencies expected of Syariah advisers, and supports IFIs in areas such as appointments, performance assessment, training, and succession planning to ensure strong Syariah governance across the industry.

The afternoon session featured two panel discussions comprising SAB members and Syariah control practitioners from local Islamic financial institutions that explored key governance and implementation challenges in strengthening Syariah practices across the Islamic finance industry. The discussions focused on the evolving role of the SAB in ensuring compliance with Hukum Syara’, as well as on industry readiness in implementing stronger Syariah governance and control functions in line with BDCB regulations. 

The Muzakarah concluded with the presentation of a draft resolution to serve as a reference and guide for key Syariah governance stakeholders and practitioners across the Islamic finance industry in formulating institution-specific strategies to strengthen Syariah governance and compliance practices.

Muzakarah Syariah Kewangan Islam 2025

Muzakarah Syariah Kewangan Islam 2025 (MY)