Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Joins 3rd Global Islamic Economy Summit in Istanbul Financial Center
Image: وكالة سبأ

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Joins 3rd Global Islamic Economy Summit in Istanbul Financial Center

06 June, 2026.Finance.7 sources

Key Takeaways

  • Erdoğan attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd Global Islamic Economy Summit in Istanbul.
  • Summit held under Türkiye presidency's auspices and organized by AlBaraka Islamic Economics Forum.
  • Palestine-Turkey financial cooperation discussed; Malaysia's central bank governor participated in talks.

Debt, Interest, and Istanbul

Erdoğan told the opening ceremony, “Where there is interest, there is no blessing. Where there is exploitation, there is no blessing,” and he said the global financial system requires not only revision but a more fundamental transformation.

Image from DHA
DHADHA

The summit’s program also highlighted Erdoğan’s note that global debt reaching 350 trillion dollars represents a serious warning regarding the sustainability of the current system.

In the same opening sequence, Abdullah Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the AlBaraka Islamic Economics Forum, said “ISLAMİC ECONOMY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF GLOBAL TRANSFORMATİON.”

Central Banks Panel

Day three of the summit began with the “Central Banks and Ministerial Level Panel” held prior to the official opening ceremony, moderated by Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The panel featured Dr. Fatih Karahan, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye; Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia; and Yahya Jawdat Hafez Shunnar, Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority.

Image from Le Monde diplomatique
Le Monde diplomatiqueLe Monde diplomatique

In the panel discussion, participants addressed topics including the restructuring of capital flows, Sharia-compliant monetary policies, and financial stability, alongside sustainable investment models and cross-border economic integration.

The summit’s coverage also connected the discussions to Islamic finance’s role in the global economy, with participants exploring “new cooperation models to enhance economic resilience.”

Palestine, Turkey, and Malaysia

On the sidelines of the AlBaraka Islamic Economics Summit in Istanbul, the Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority Yahya Shanar met Turkish central bank governor Fatih Karahan to discuss ways to develop financial and banking cooperation between Palestine and Türkiye.

WAFA said Shanar stressed “the continued Israeli restrictions on clearance revenues” and the challenges related to correspondent banking relations between Palestinian and Israeli banks, calling for serious international action to address these challenges and ensure the stability of the Palestinian financial sector.

In a separate meeting, Shanar discussed with Malaysia’s central bank governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour prospects for expanding the institutional framework of Islamic finance and broadening its tools to support the real economy.

The WAFA account also said the two sides reviewed Malaysia’s experience in Islamic finance and discussed applying best practices in regulation, governance, and product development to advance the Palestinian financial sector.

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