Taking place in Bangkok at the start of the World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings and directly after the Annual Forum of the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD), “Faith Matters! in Development Financing” will leverage these convenings to explore how faith-aligned capital can be used more systematically in development finance.
Many religious traditions have long-standing financing practices rooted in compassion and solidarity: dana in Buddhism, tzedakah in Judaism, tithing in Christianity, zakat and waqf in Islam, dasvandh in Sikhi, and huqúqu’lláh in the Bahá’í Faith, among others. Some traditions have also built their own financial systems, including religious banking, endowments, temple economies, and faith-aligned investment vehicles, through which they often act as institutional investors.
Yet systematic cooperation between development finance institutions and faith-based organizations on catalytic capital remains largely uncharted. Development financiers can benefit from a better understanding of religious governance structures and faith-based capital. Religious actors can strengthen their work with greater literacy in faith-related banking, blended finance, de-risking instruments, and impact investing. This discussion aims to narrow that mutual literacy gap and spark new ideas for collaboration to mobilize capital for development.
| 12:00 – 12:05 | Welcome by Khushwant Singh (PaRD) |
| 12:05 – 1:00 | Session 1: The role of faith assets in development, moderated by Peter Prove (World Council of Churches). |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Lunch (provided at the venue) |
| 2:00 – 2:55 | Session 2: Examples from practice, moderated by Ambassador Roya Rahmani (World Bank Group). |
| 2:55 – 3:00 | Close: key takeaways and next steps |
Master of ceremonies: Dr. Rose Campion (PaRD and Asian Development Bank Institute)
Panel 1: Lessons from practice
Moderator: Peter Prove (World Council of Churches)
• Dr. Jubril Adeojo (SMEFUNDS Capital)
• Osai Ojigho (Christian Aid)
• Dr. Bambang Brodjonegoro (Asian Development Bank Institute)
Panel 2: Closing the gap and moving forward
Moderator: Ambassador Roya Rahmani (World Bank Group)
• Martin Palmer (FaithInvest)
• Prof. Atul K. Shah (Bayes Business School, City St George’s, University of London)
• Shahin Ashraf MBE (Islamic Relief Worldwide)
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