Dhaka, July 20 -- Fifty years ago, the world witnessed a groundbreaking milestone-the establishment of the first full-service Islamic bank. Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), founded in 1975, was the world's first modern commercial Islamic bank.

Although earlier initiatives such as the MitGhamr Savings Bank in Egypt (1963) explored interest-free banking, DIB was the pioneering institution to function as a comprehensive commercial bank fully aligned with Islamic principles.

From those modest beginnings, Islamic finance has remarkablelly grown into a global industry nearing US$5 trillion in assets. Today, it stands at a pivotal crossroads: a moment when scale must be matched by systemic influence, leadership, and transformative purpose.

Islamic f...