Doha’s flagship Islamic finance conference opened with artificial intelligence placed at the heart of debates on Shariah-compliant banking, sukuk, waqf and zakat management, marking a sharper turn towards technology-led governance in one of the Gulf’s most important financial sectors.The 12th Doha Islamic Finance Conference, held on 16 June at Al Majlis Hall, Sheraton Grand Doha, was organised by Bait Al-Mashura Finance Consultations under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. The conference theme, “Islamic Finance in the Age of Agentic Systems”, signalled a move beyond general discussion of fintech towards AI systems capable of analysing data, interacting with changing inputs and supporting decisions within legal and Shariah frameworks.
The opening was attended by Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanim, International Islamic Fiqh Academy Secretary-General Prof Koutoub Moustapha Sano, and Dukhan Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdulla bin Fahad bin Jassim Al-Thani. The event brought together government bodies, financial institutions, technology specialists, scholars and academics at a time when Islamic finance is seeking to preserve its ethical and jurisprudential foundations while adapting to fast-moving digital systems.
The conference focused on four areas where AI could have direct operational impact: Islamic financial institutions, waqf management, virtual influencers in charitable and financial ecosystems, and zakat administration. Discussions covered automated agent trading, smart sukuk, legal frameworks for AI agents, Shariah rulings on intelligent systems, data-driven zakat decisions, smart crowdfunding and the use of digital platforms to improve transparency and efficiency.
Organisers also launched the Doha Islamic Finance Conference Award, designed to recognise work in Islamic economics and finance and encourage scientific research in the sector. The initiative adds an institutional dimension to the annual conference, which has become a platform for positioning Qatar as a centre for debate on Islamic finance, regulation and financial technology.
Prof Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, chairman of the organising committee and vice-chairman of Bait Al-Mashura Finance Consultations, said the conference was being held at a time when economic, technological and geopolitical factors were increasingly intertwined. He said agentic systems were emerging as tools for managing complexity and accelerating responses to change, but stressed that Islamic finance had a responsibility not merely to adopt technology, but to help shape a model that combines efficiency with value-based governance.
The debate comes as Qatar’s Islamic finance industry continues to expand. Sector assets reached QR718.5 billion in 2025, up 5.3 per cent from the previous year. Islamic banks accounted for 87.8 per cent of total assets, sukuk for 11 per cent and takaful insurance for 0.7 per cent. Islamic banking assets rose to QR616.5 billion from QR585.5 billion in 2024, slightly ahead of conventional banking growth.
Qatar has four Islamic banks among 16 banks operating in the country, with Qatar Islamic Bank and Al Rayan Bank ranked among the world’s top ten Islamic banks by assets. Local Islamic banks account for nearly 28 per cent of total banking sector assets, while their assets recorded a compound annual growth rate of about 4 per cent between 2021 and 2025, compared with 3 per cent for conventional commercial banks.
The sukuk market remains central to the country’s Islamic finance base. Qatar Central Bank issued QR10.1 billion worth of sukuk in 2025, representing 43.4 per cent of total sukuk and bond issuance for the year. Over the five years to 2025, government sukuk issuance totalled QR47.7 billion, accounting for 44.2 per cent of combined government sukuk and bond issuance.
Dukhan Bank, the conference’s strategic partner, used the event to link AI adoption with Islamic banking performance and competitiveness. Sheikh Abdulla bin Fahad bin Jassim Al-Thani said intelligent technologies were reshaping financial services by improving efficiency, agility and responsiveness. Dukhan Bank posted net profit of QR1.3 billion in 2025, while total assets rose 5 per cent to QR124 billion, customer deposits increased 5.3 per cent and the financing portfolio grew 4.4 per cent.
The discussion also reflected concerns that AI adoption in finance cannot be separated from governance, accountability and operational resilience. Agentic systems can automate complex functions, but their use in credit assessment, trading, compliance, charitable distribution and customer engagement raises questions over transparency, bias, auditability and human oversight. These questions carry added weight in Islamic finance, where contracts and institutional conduct must remain aligned with Shariah principles.
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