DIB, an Islamic financial group in the UAE, launched its ‘Unlocking Sustainable Finance’ Series, a new sector-focused platform designed to support priority industries in accelerating their transition towards a more sustainable and resilient economy.
The inaugural edition, ‘Transitioning Real Estate’, brought together more than 80 senior stakeholders from across the built environment ecosystem, including policymakers, regulators, developers, contractors, architects, engineers, sustainability experts and supply chain leaders. The forum focused on one of the UAE’s most strategically important sectors, addressing how sustainable finance can help unlock more efficient assets, lower-carbon buildings, resilient infrastructure, circular supply chains and long-term value creation.
The event commenced with a keynote address by Dr. Adnan Chilwan, Group Chief Executive Officer of DIB, followed by the formalization of a series of client sustainability commitments designed to translate sector dialogue into tangible market action. As part of the event, DIB formalised an official LEED-precertified project facility with Azizi Developments, supporting the development of a project aligned with recognised green building standards and reinforcing the role of sustainable finance in advancing higher-performing real estate assets. The formalisation was attended by Mr. Mirwais Azizi, Founder and Chairman of Azizi Developments, and Mr. Farhad Azizi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Azizi Developments.
The event also witnessed DIB formalising a partnership with Imtiaz Developments though an official Green Concierge MoU, creating a framework for collaboration across the client transition journey, from sustainability direction and roadmap development to financing readiness, ecosystem partnerships, reporting and assurance. The MoU was attended by Mr. Masih Imtiaz, CEO of Imtiaz Developments. Together, these formalised commitments demonstrate how DIB’s platform is moving beyond dialogue to support practical, commercially viable and measurable sustainability outcomes across the real estate sector.
Commenting on the launch, Dr. Adnan Chilwan, Group Chief Executive Officer of DIB, said: “Real estate has always been central to economic development, city competitiveness and community wellbeing. Today, as the transition to a lower-carbon economy accelerates, the built environment also represents one of the most important sustainability and commercial opportunities before us. It shapes how resources are consumed, how assets perform, how capital is allocated and how resilient our cities will be for future generations. This is why we chose real estate as the first focus of the Unlocking Sustainable Finance Series. I would like to thank our regulators, clients, partners and industry leaders for joining this important conversation and for bringing the level of collaboration this transition requires. At DIB, we believe sustainable finance cannot remain a label or a standalone product. It must become a discipline that connects capital with measurable impact. Our role is to help clients move from ambition to execution by shaping credible transition plans, defining practical KPIs, structuring finance around real outcomes and connecting them with the right ecosystem partners. Through Green Concierge, the transition financing commitments formalised today and the industry collaboration pact launched with participants, we are creating a more complete platform to help make sustainable real estate more credible, more financeable and more scalable, while delivering outcomes that reduce emissions, improve efficiency, strengthen resilience and create long-term value in the real economy.”
The launch reinforces DIB’s broader sustainability agenda and its ambition to advance the ESG landscape across Islamic finance. The Bank has committed to increasing sustainable assets to represent 15% of total gross financing and investing book by 2030, with approximately half of that target already achieved. By end-2025, DIB has deployed nearly AED 20 billion in sustainable and sustainability-linked financing, invested around AED 9 billion in ESG sukuk and facilitated close to AED 30 billion in sustainable debt capital market transactions.
These commitments are translating into measurable impact across the real economy. DIB’s sustainable finance activities have supported greener buildings, cleaner transport, energy efficiency, affordable and social housing, essential services and more resilient infrastructure. They have also helped avoid more than 155,000 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions, supported more than 13,000 electric vehicles, delivered nearly 96,000 MWh in energy savings and contributed to more than 1,500 affordable and social housing units.
The forum featured expert presentations and executive panel discussions with participation from the Department of Energy, Knight Frank and Arada, examining the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of sustainable real estate. Discussions addressed policy frameworks, value creation through sustainability, the green premium, retrofit financing, building performance data, circular supply chains and waste management strategies.
A key highlight of the programme was the introduction of Green Concierge, DIB’s integrated client enablement platform designed to support organisations across the full transition journey, from strategic direction and capability building to financing, market access, impact measurement, reporting and assurance. The platform brings together sustainable finance expertise, Shariah-compliant structuring, ecosystem partnerships and DIB’s debt capital market capabilities, helping clients develop credible ESG roadmaps, identify implementation partners, access tailored financing solutions and strengthen transparency.
The event also featured collaborative workshops focused on enhancing finance readiness, unlocking asset value through sustainability and advancing circularity across the real estate sector. Insights and recommendations generated during these sessions culminated in the launch of an industry collaboration pact, through which participants committed to continued engagement via a specialised roundtable series aimed at accelerating practical, market-driven solutions for sustainable real estate finance.
Building on the success of the inaugural event, DIB’s “Unlocking Sustainable Finance” Series will expand across additional priority sectors facing complex transition challenges, creating a scalable platform for industry dialogue, client enablement and sustainable market development.
