Hong Leong Islamic Bank enters new chapter with refreshed identity, HLB Islamic

Hong Leong Islamic Bank has entered a new chapter with a refreshed brand identity and a strengthened approach to Shariah-compliant wealth management.

The bank, now formally known as HLB Islamic, is introducing its Hayat @ HLB Islamic proposition, which encourages customers to view financial services as an integrated, life-cycle journey rather than a series of isolated products.

Kevin Lam, group managing director and CEO of Hong Leong Bank, said the transition is designed to scale the Islamic banking franchise as a key growth engine while aligning more closely with the broader HLB brand. “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. Our goal is for HLB Islamic to be the preferred gateway for wealth stewardship in Malaysia,” he said.

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The Hayat approach reframes financial planning through five pillars of Islamic wealth stewardship: wealth creation, wealth protection, wealth purification, wealth distribution and legacy planning.

“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,” said Dafinah Ahmed Hilmi, CEO of HLB Islamic. She added that Hayat is designed to make Islamic wealth management holistic, purposeful, and aligned with Maqasid al-Shariah principles.

Practical integration is a key feature of the refresh. Customers can now access Zakat, Sadaqah, and Waqf services directly via the HLB Connect app, removing friction from external platforms and making social obligations part of everyday banking.

To mark the launch of Hayat @ HLB Islamic, the bank is also running a promotion that gives customers the chance to visit their “Destinasi impian” (“Dream destination”) in Japan, China, or Vietnam by engaging with eligible products across the five wealth stewardship pillars.

With this rebranding and life-cycle approach, HLB Islamic signals its intent to elevate Shariah-compliant financial planning in Malaysia, blending traditional principles with modern, digital-first solutions.

Just last December in celebration of its 20th anniversary, sharpened its focus on wealth management and reimagining Islamic banking through the lens of purpose-driven financial stewardship. Anchored by the refreshed proposition, “Timeless principles guiding tomorrow’s wealth”, the bank signals a modern, accessible, and forward-looking approach while staying deeply rooted in Shariah values.

The anniversary and rebranding comes right after HLB Private Bank rolled out a refreshed regional branding campaign in October, underscoring its belief that true wealth transfer and legacy preservation begin with human conversations, not just financial ones. 

The initiative marked a new chapter for the bank as it doubles down on serving high net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high net-worth (UHNW) clients, along with family offices across the region. The repositioning, which includes a new logo, brand video, and refined client experience, reaffirms HLB Private Bank’s 120-year legacy while steering the brand toward a more bespoke, relationship-driven service model, the bank shared in a statement. 

Hong Leong Bank's other units have also undergone a name refresh in the last year, including HLB Connect and HLB Priority.

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