For investors seeking to align their portfolios with their faith, a significant new door has opened in Malaysia’s financial markets. Maybank Investment Bank Bhd (Maybank IB) has been formally approved as a supplier and user under the Islamic Securities Selling and Buying — Negotiated Transaction (ISSBNT) framework on Bursa Malaysia, a move that directly empowers individual and institutional investors to manage risk and execute trades in Shariah-compliant securities with greater confidence and liquidity.
This development means that everyday market participants—from retail investors managing their savings to large fund managers overseeing retirement assets—now have a more robust and faith-compliant tool to buy and sell securities. By facilitating the selling and buying of Shariah-compliant securities, Maybank IB’s role under the ISSBNT framework allows investors to engage in risk management and hedging activities while strictly adhering to Islamic principles. For a community that has long sought financial instruments that respect both religious guidelines and market efficiency, this represents a tangible improvement in how they can grow and protect their wealth.
Expanding Access to Shariah-Compliant Trading
The ISSBNT framework itself was launched in December 2017, created as the world’s first Shariah-compliant alternative to conventional securities lending and borrowing. Its core purpose, according to the framework’s design, is to improve trading liquidity, create a more facilitative trading environment, and increase the velocity—the speed and ease—of trading Shariah-compliant securities. Until now, investors seeking to borrow or lend securities for short-term trading or hedging often had to look to conventional markets. The ISSBNT framework solves that problem by providing a fully compliant pathway.
Maybank IB joins a growing list of institutions stepping into this role. Before Maybank IB’s approval, CGS-CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd and Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd had already been added as user representatives and suppliers under the ISSBNT framework. The addition of Maybank IB, one of the country’s largest and most trusted financial institutions, signals a deepening of the market infrastructure that directly benefits investors.
Market Leaders See Strong Demand for Faith-Based Investing
Bursa Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift emphasized that the addition of more participating organizations under the ISSBNT framework demonstrates the exchange’s commitment to growing the Islamic equity market in response to increased demand for Shariah-compliant assets. “To spur the growth and vibrancy of our marketplace, upholding Malaysia’s position as the world’s leading Islamic Shariah-compliant equity market. We look forward to the increased participation and continued support from our brokers,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The CEO of Maybank IB, Datuk Fad’l Mohamed, echoed this sentiment, noting the investment bank’s enthusiasm for its new role. “We are excited to be an approved supplier and user under the ISSBNT framework, which will enable us to support our clients’ investment management strategies,” he said. He added that the investment bank sees strong demand for Shariah-compliant assets among investors.
For the average investor, this means more than just a new line item on a trading platform. It means that the market is actively building the rails for a system where faith and finance can coexist without compromise. Families planning for education, retirement, or charitable giving through Shariah-compliant vehicles now have a more liquid and responsive market to work within.
Looking ahead, market observers will watch for which additional financial institutions step forward to join Maybank IB, CGS-CIMB, and Kenanga as approved participants. As demand for ethical and faith-based investing continues to grow globally, the expansion of the ISSBNT framework could serve as a model for other exchanges seeking to offer Shariah-compliant alternatives. Investors can expect further announcements from Bursa Malaysia as it continues to deepen the pool of participating organizations, potentially broadening the range of securities and strategies available under this pioneering framework.
