Hong Leong Islamic Bank Enters New Era as HLB Islamic

Hong Leong Islamic Bank Enters New Era as “HLB Islamic”, Charts New Course in Wealth Stewardship with ‘Hayat’ Proposition

With the refreshed brand identity and strengthened core proposition, HLB Islamic is empowering customers to view every financial decision through a Shariah-guided wealth lifecycle approach

Dafinah Ahmed Hilmi, CEO of HLB Islamic [centre left] and Kevin Lam, Group Managing Director and CEO of HLB [centre right] unveiling the refreshed identity of HLB Islamic and introducing Hayat @ HLB Islamic, the Bank’s new proposition centered around wealth stewardship.

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 MARCH 2026 – As a strategic move to refresh and strengthen its core vision, Hong Leong Islamic Bank (“HLB Islamic” or the “Bank”) is transitioning to a refreshed consumer-facing brand identity, now known as HLB Islamic, and a strengthened core proposition that approaches financial services not as a series of siloed products and transactions, but as total wealth stewardship through a Shariah-principle-guided life-cycle approach known as Hayat @ HLB Islamic. This evolution is rooted in the Bank’s new philosophy, ‘Timeless Principles Guiding Tomorrow’s Wealth,’ introduced during its 20th anniversary last December to signal a new chapter in wealth stewardship.

 

According to Kevin Lam, Group Managing Director & CEO of Hong Leong Bank (“HLB”), the transition to HLB Islamic is a deliberate step to scale the Shariah-compliant franchise into a primary growth engine for the Bank, while serving as a unified gateway for all financial needs within the broader Hong Leong Financial Group (“HLFG”) ecosystem.

 

"Our transition to HLB Islamic is a deliberate step to foster deeper brand affinity with our diverse clientele and a clear declaration of our intent to scale our Shariah-compliant franchise into a primary engine of growth for HLB. By aligning our Islamic banking identity more closely with the core HLB brand, we are making our Shariah-compliant solutions more intuitive, accessible, and digitally integrated. Looking ahead, our goal is for HLB Islamic to be the preferred gateway for wealth stewardship in Malaysia, demonstrating that value-based solutions that are truly customer-centric can lead the market in both innovation and resonance,” said Kevin Lam.

 

While the new branding signals a clear business evolution, Hayat @ HLB Islamic represents a fundamental paradigm shift in how the Bank and its customers perceive financial services. Moving away from the traditional view of products as isolated transactions, this approach integrates all offerings into a singular vision of wealth stewardship. Aligned with the vision of ‘Timeless Principles Guiding Tomorrow’s Wealth,’ Hayat @ HLB Islamic empowers customers to look beyond wealth as a standalone category and instead view their entire financial journey through the lens of wealth.

 

Hayat @ HLB Islamic integrates the Bank’s comprehensive product suite into a single, cohesive journey, seamlessly aligned with the five pillars of Islamic Wealth Stewardship that supports the entire financial lifecycle, for all customers. The journey begins with Wealth Creation and Accumulation, focusing on generating purpose-driven wealth from the first paycheck and investing in Shariah-compliant assets. This foundation is secured by Wealth Protection to shield against uncertainty, and elevated by Wealth Purification, which promotes ethical stewardship through giving. Finally, Wealth Distribution moves beyond inheritance to help customers design legacies that pass down values alongside financial assets.

 

Dafinah Ahmed Hilmi, CEO of HLB Islamic, commented, “We understand that our customers entrust us with the fruits of their success and the security of their family’s future. It is a responsibility that requires us to be incredibly thoughtful, and this realization is what led us to launch Hayat @ HLB Islamic. We believe that financial planning should be grounded in a long-term wealth stewardship mindset; by building our solutions around the various life stages of our customers, we ensure that this journey is simple, seamless, and intuitive.”

 

“There is an inherent beauty in Islamic banking. Its principles offer a holistic and dignified view of wealth, connecting every financial decision with a balanced responsibility toward society. Grounded in Maqasid al-Shariah foundations, Hayat @ HLB Islamic integrates the full arc of a life journey, from a child’s first savings to legacy planning, ensuring the path is not only profitable but purposeful. Our responsibility as a Bank is to bridge the gap between the theoretical and the practical, empowering our customers to approach financial management from a perspective of wealth stewardship and abundance, while remaining firmly rooted in Shariah principles,” added Dafinah.

 

True to its commitment to empowering purposeful wealth stewardship, customers can now access Zakat, Sadaqah, and Waqf services directly through the HLB Connect app. By integrating these social Shariah obligations into the mobile interface, the Bank has removed the friction of navigating external platforms, allowing customers to fulfill their contributions seamlessly as part of their everyday banking routine.

 

To celebrate this new milestone, HLB Islamic is launching an exclusive promotion that invites customers to embark on their Hayat journey with the chance to visit their “Destinasi Impian” (“dream destination”). By engaging with eligible products across any of the five Hayat @ HLB Islamic pillars, customers can stand a chance to win travel prizes to Japan, China, and Vietnam.

 

For more information on the new brand identity and Hayat @ HLB Islamic, please visit the newly refreshed HLB Islamic website: www.hlbislamic.com.my/hayat