Emirates Islamic & Swiss Partner Unveil New Shariah-Compliant Products

In June 2025, Emirates Islamic, a leading Islamic financial institution in the UAE and part of the Emirates NBD Group, announced a strategic partnership with Switzerland-based Leonteq Securities AG, a Zurich-based fintech specializing in structured investment solutions. This collaboration, formalized on June 11, 2025, focuses on the development and distribution of Shariah-compliant structured products through the IBDAA Certificate Issuer platform, a dedicated Islamic issuance entity.

The partnership combines Leonteq’s expertise in investment structuring, technology, and Shariah-compliant hedging with Emirates Islamic’s strong market presence, A+ Fitch credit rating, and extensive wealth management network across 40 UAE branches. Emirates Islamic will co-design trust certificates issued by IBDAA, offering clients diverse payoff structures across various asset classes, including participation, capital protection, and yield enhancement. Leonteq will manage issuance, lifecycle management, and compliance with AAOIFI standards, ensuring accessibility with a competitive minimum subscription size of $50,000.

This initiative aligns with Emirates Islamic’s record-breaking Q1 2025 performance, reporting a 24% year-on-year net profit increase to Dh1 billion, driven by innovation in Islamic finance. The partnership enhances Emirates Islamic’s wealth management portfolio, catering to growing demand for ethical investments and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global Islamic finance hub, with the market projected to surpass $300 billion by 2026. Farid AlMulla, CEO of Emirates Islamic, emphasized the partnership’s role in delivering sophisticated, Shariah-compliant investment solutions to clients.

This milestone follows Leonteq’s 2022 launch of a Shariah-compliant trust certificate program via IBDAA, further expanding its Middle East presence. The collaboration is expected to drive innovation in Islamic structured products, offering UAE clients access to global markets while adhering to Islamic financial principles.