CIMB Investment Bank is Asia-Pacific’s best sukuk house, distinguished by its sustained market leadership, depth of execution across landmark transactions and continued innovation in Shariah-compliant capital markets, underpinned by a franchise that consistently delivers for issuers and investors.
An enduring and dominant force in sukuk markets, CIMB Investment Bank was ranked number one in global sukuk among Asean-based banks during 2025 and has held leading positions across multiple league tables in Asia-Pacific for more than a decade, including Malaysian ringgit sukuk and Asean local currency bonds.
This consistent leadership reflects not only the scale and breadth of its capabilities across structuring, distribution and execution – supported by an extensive investor base spanning Asia, Europe, the US and the Middle East – but also its ability to continually raise its own standards to sustain leadership in an increasingly competitive market.
“Winning Asia’s best sukuk house is a proud recognition of the depth, consistency and leadership of CIMB’s capital markets franchise,” says Nor Masliza Sulaiman, chief executive officer, CIMB Investment Bank Berhad and regional head, investment banking. “It reflects the trust our clients place in us as a partner capable of delivering innovative, market-defining solutions across diverse sectors and challenging market conditions.”
CIMB’s performance in 2025 was defined by a series of landmark and complex transactions that shaped the regional sukuk landscape. Among the most notable was the MYR6 billion sustainability merdeka sukuk wakalah for PNB Merdeka Ventures, the largest transaction in the Malaysian sukuk market during the year, alongside a consent solicitation that delivered significant cost savings and extended debt maturity.
This recognition is the result of CIMB’s strategic investment in disciplined execution, distribution capabilities and a commitment to advancing sustainability and structural innovation across the region
Nor Masliza Sulaiman
The bank also arranged SD Guthrie’s MYR2.1 billion sustainability-linked sukuk, the largest such issuance in Malaysia and for the plantation sector, and executed Qualitas Sukuk Berhad’s dual-tranche senior and perpetual sukuk, marking the first primary healthcare provider to access the Malaysian debt capital markets with a perpetual structure.
Innovation remains a defining strength. CIMB has consistently brought new structures and issuers to market, including the first property asset-backed green sukuk based on a wakalah structure, and the first senior sukuk issuance by a Malaysian real estate investment trust (Reit) on a non-structured finance basis. These transactions demonstrate the bank’s ability to expand the boundaries of Islamic finance into new asset classes and sectors. Its role in conceptualising and structuring perpetual sukuk programmes, including for EcoWorld, further highlights its capacity to develop tailored, equity-like solutions that address complex client needs.
“This recognition is the result of CIMB’s strategic investment in disciplined execution, distribution capabilities and a commitment to advancing sustainability and structural innovation across the region,” says Sulaiman.
Beyond individual transactions, CIMB has played a leading role in advancing the broader Islamic capital markets ecosystem. The bank is actively engaged with regulators and industry bodies across the region, contributing to the development of sustainable and responsible investment frameworks, sukuk guidelines and broader market standards. It also fosters market development through regular engagement, conferences and knowledge-sharing initiatives, supporting the continued growth and sophistication of the regional sukuk market.
“As we look ahead, CIMB remains focused on empowering our clients – whether sovereigns, financial institutions or corporates – to access Islamic capital markets with confidence, scale and efficiency, and to continue shaping the evolution of sukuk as a force for sustainable growth across Asia and beyond,” Sulaiman adds.
This combination of market leadership, execution of high-impact transactions, structural innovation and active industry stewardship positions CIMB Investment Bank at the forefront of sukuk markets. Its ability to consistently deliver complex, first-of-a-kind deals, while expanding the investor base and deepening market standards, underlines a franchise that continues to set the standard for sukuk in Asia-Pacific.
