Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Anniversaries have a way of making us pause.

We look at where an institution has been, remember the people who carried its mission through the years, and ask ourselves what it can still become.

When Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines marked another year of service, I felt all three emotions at once: gratitude for its journey, humility before its responsibilities, and excitement for the road ahead.

Al-Amanah’s story began on Aug. 2, 1973, when the Philippine Amanah Bank was created to provide credit, commercial, development and savings banking to communities, particularly in the Muslim provinces of Mindanao and Palawan. Its mandate was rooted in a simple but important idea: that access to finance can help people build enterprises, strengthen communities, and participate more fully in the nation’s economic life.

That mission grew with the institution. In 1974, its charter was amended to place the bank on the Islamic concept of banking, including the no-interest and partnership principles. In 1990, Republic Act No. 6848 established the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines and gave it a broader Islamic banking mandate.

The bank has continued to evolve. It has developed Islamic deposit and financing products, introduced services for customers and OFWs, and expanded its branch presence. Its products now include financing arrangements such as Murabahah, Al-Bai Bithaman Ajil and Ijarah. In 2019, the passage of Republic Act No. 11439 further opened the Philippine financial system to Islamic banking and created a clearer regulatory framework for its growth.

But I believe the next transformation must go deeper than products or technology.

When I first looked closely at Al-Amanah, I saw an institution with a remarkable foundation—and a much bigger purpose waiting to be fully realized.

For too long, Islamic banking has sometimes been viewed as something meant only for Muslims or confined to Mindanao. That understanding needs to change. Islamic finance is available to everyone. Its principles of fairness, transparency, and shared risk can speak to any Filipino looking for responsible ways to save, invest, or finance a business.

This is the opportunity before us.

In the next two years, we are determined to make Al-Amanah a stronger partner in national development. We will work to bring financial literacy closer to ordinary Filipinos, widen financing opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises, and pay particular attention to women-led businesses that have the capacity to grow but may not always fit conventional lending requirements.

Mindanao will remain central to this work. Its entrepreneurs, halal industries, and communities have enormous potential. Al-Amanah can help connect them not only to financing, but also to markets, investors, and government programs.

At the same time, I want us to look beyond our traditional reach. OFWs, young professionals, families, and entrepreneurs across the country should know that Islamic banking is an option available to them.

And we must make that option easier to use.

A bank cannot claim to be inclusive if accessing its services is unnecessarily difficult. We need better digital services, easier account opening, stronger customer support, and partnerships with fintech companies, private institutions, universities, and organizations working in Islamic finance.

I also see promise in sukuk, Shari’ah-compliant investment instruments linked to real assets or projects. They can help bring new capital into infrastructure, businesses, and other productive activities while attracting investors seeking ethical investments. Meanwhile strategic investments can help Al-Amanah participate in enterprises that contribute to economic growth.

As these opportunities develop, I hope we can use them not simply to grow the bank, but to channel capital toward businesses, infrastructure, and communities that create jobs and lasting value. That is the Al-Amanah I hope to help shape: a bank that does not simply move money but helps create possibilities.

Beyond budget, I see Al-Amanah as an arm of government that can help build a Bagong Pilipinas—one where financial inclusion means giving more Filipinos a genuine chance to participate, create, invest, and prosper.

As the first woman chairperson and chief executive officer of Al-Amanah, I hope that when we look back years from now, we will not measure our success only by the size of our assets or the number of accounts we have opened. I hope we will remember the entrepreneurs who were able to expand, the families who gained greater financial security, the communities that found new opportunities, and the young Filipinos who discovered that their dreams were worth investing in.

For me, that is what this anniversary truly celebrates.

Not simply how long Al-Amanah has existed, but how much good it can still do.

And perhaps the most meaningful chapter of its story is only beginning.

(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the former Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)