Access to finance remains one of the most significant barriers to SME growth and economic transformation, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Only one in five African firms has access to credit, and those that do often face prohibitively high interest rates averaging 25 percent, compared to just 5 percent in Europe. Islamic finance, with over US$4 trillion in assets, offers a largely untapped opportunity to address this gap by directing capital stored in monetary markets into the real economy.

IFETAA represents a new alliance that will drive capital and capacity towards MSME development, resilience and growth across low- and lower middle-income countries. The signing ceremonies of the 3 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) took place ahead of a high-level roundtable at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, held on the margins of the OPEC Fund Development Forum, and marked the formalization of the programme.

“As traditional development funding continues to decline, Islamic and Arab financial institutions are emerging as key partners in driving industrialization and sustainable development”, said UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller. “Through this programme, we are building a powerful new alliance to support small and medium-sized businesses, increase productivity and resilience, and accelerate economic transformation in developing countries”.

“The IFETAA Programme will unlock urgently needed capital for Africa’s economic transformation and AFC is proud to bring its unique expertise in both conventional and Islamic finance to mobilise funding at scale,” said Banji Fehintola, Board Member and Head of Financial Services at AFC. “As an issuer, guarantor, and investor, we are committed to delivering innovative, Shariah-compliant solutions that drive inclusive and resilient economic growth, whilst contributing to strengthening the south-south cooperation required to advance our shared development goals”.

H.E. Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of AAOIFI and the International Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation announced that “AAOIFI is proud to contribute to this transformative partnership, which aligns Islamic finance with global development priorities and encourages Islamic financial institutions to voluntarily dedicate at least 20% of their financing – over US$1 trillion – to MSME development. We will work on developing a Shariah-compliant finance programme enriched with technical assistance, regulatory support, and capacity building. IFETAA will also leverage UNIDO’s globally recognized Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion model (EDIP)”.

By integrating Islamic finance with proven entrepreneurship and business counseling interventions, IFETAA will empower MSMEs to become bankable, resilient, and key drivers of inclusive economic growth.

Dr. Wissam Fattouh, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Banks, stated: “IFETAA is more than a programme – it is a call to action. The Union of Arab Banks is proud to unite Islamic and Arab financial power to serve sustainable development and economic sovereignty. We are mobilizing capital not just to fund growth, but to shape the future of our region. This is about empowering MSMEs, restoring trust in financial systems, and building resilient, inclusive economies”.

IFETAA is a direct outcome of the commitments made at UNIDO’s A World Without Hunger conference in Addis Ababa in 2024. There, AAOIFI pledged to mobilize 20 percent of Islamic Financial Institutions’ loans and advancements towards MSME development, while UAB reaffirmed its commitment to channel US$1 trillion from its member banks towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AFC, a close partner to UNIDO, expressed its support through its financial mechanisms and expertise. IFETAA will facilitate access to finance by developing a pipeline of bankable MSME projects, establish financial and non-financial de-risking mechanisms, and support host governments in strengthening regulatory frameworks to expand Islamic and conventional bank lending.

UNIDO has committed US$500,000 to support the preparation of the IFETAA programme and its initial implementation, which is co-led by the UNIDO Task Force on Islamic and Arab Financing and UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain.

Each of the partner institutions brings unique strengths to the programme. AAOIFI, headquartered in Bahrain, is the world’s leading standard-setting body for Islamic finance and plays a critical role in ensuring Shariah compliance and supporting regulators and financial institutions globally. Beirut-based UAB represents over 300 Arab banks and financial institutions while serving as a regional platform for aligning Arab banking practices with global trends, including Islamic finance, ESG, and digital transformation. AFC is a pan-African multilateral financial institution specializing in infrastructure development. It has been expanding its use of Islamic finance instruments, recently closing a US$400 million Shariah-compliant Commodity Murabaha facility. AFC made history in 2017 by issuing a US$230 million Sukuk, the first-ever by an African supranational institution.