Shariah Committee of HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad

In line with Bank Negara Malaysia's guidelines on Shariah Governance for Islamic Financial Institution, the current Scholars appointed are:

• Encik Aminuddin Abu Bakar
• Dr Muhammad Syahmi Mohd Karim
• Dato’ Prof Emeritus Dr Ahmad Hidayat Buang
• Encik Muhammad Izzam Mohd Khazar
• Dr Zaharuddin Abdul Rahman

Encik Aminuddin has served as a member of the Shariah Committee since 1 January 2022 and was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Shariah Committee, effective 1 January 2026. He is currently the Principal Consultant, S Tradition Pte Ltd in Singapore, a boutique consultancy firm in Islamic Finance, and the Managing Director of El Madkhal Sdn Bhd, a digital Islamic education company in Malaysia. He is also appointed as the Board member of PIH Investment Holding Pte Ltd, Director of ALG Academy Pte Ltd (Singapore), the Shariah Committee Member of Financial Shariah Advisory & Consultancy (FSAC) (Singapore), Hugosave (Singapore) and Malaysian Life Reinsurance Group Berhad (MLRE). He was part of the senior management team for Kuwait Finance House Malaysia (KFHMB), having served as Vice President and Head of its Shariah Division. He is a certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (CSAA) by Auditing and Accounting Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and a Member of the Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance (ASAS), having completed their Certified Shariah Advisor (CSA). He was awarded Master of Business Administration with distinction from University of Strathclyde, UK, and an Honours Bachelor's Degree in Comprehensive Study of Shariah Islamiyyah (Islamic Jurisprudence) from Al-Azhar University (Cairo). He has nearly 20 years of working experience in the areas of Shariah, Islamic Finance and socio-religious development.

Dr. Syahmi has served as a member of the Shariah Committee since 1 January 2020. He is an experienced business and governance leader, Islamic finance specialist, ESG/ sustainable, and halal industry advocate with over 25 years of senior-level experience across central banking, multilateral development, consulting, and higher education. He brings a strong record of board service, regulatory engagement, and international advisory work, with deep expertise in governance, risk oversight, Islamic finance regulation, halal and Shariah-compliant businesses, ESG and sustainability strategy, and organisational transformation. He has held board and committee roles, and served as a tribunal member in various government, financial institutions and government-linked entities, including the Competition Appeal Tribunal Malaysia, USIM Holdings, YaPEIM Gold, and multiple Shariah Committees such as EXIM Bank Malaysia, HSBC Amanah, and Malaysian Life Reinsurance Group (Retakaful). He also served as an External Expert to the International Monetary Fund, advising central banks on regulatory frameworks, Shariah governance, and Islamic finance ecosystem development. Dr. Syahmi’s executive leadership includes his tenure as Deputy President Operations/ Chief Operating Officer of INCEIF University, where he strengthened operational governance, enhanced audit outcomes, achieved sustained growth, and spearheaded strategic sustainability initiatives. His career also includes key regulatory and risk roles at Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank of Malaysia), where he contributed to major national prudential policies and industry-wide supervisory frameworks. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Banking and Finance from Durham University, is a Chartered Accountant (CA(M)), and a CIMA Chartered Global Management Accountant (ACMA, CGMA), with additional Executive Education in Sustainability and ESG credentials from Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, PwC–GRI Academy, University of Oxford and the Securities Industry Development Corporation (SIDC).

Dato' Prof. Hidayat has served as a member of the Shariah Committee since 14 August 2023. He is a retired Honorary Professor at the University of Malaya and serves as Chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Council at Amanah Raya Berhad. Prior to joining HSBC Amanah, he was Chairman of the Shariah Advisory Board of Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad and served as a Shariah Committee member for other Islamic banks and takaful companies. He has conducted various research, authored books, and made journal entries on Shariah, and has also presented at various local and international conferences. Dato' Prof. Hidayat had been teaching at the Department of Shariah and Law, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya since 1987 both at postgraduate and undergraduate levels. He studied at University of Malaya and received Bachelor in Shariah (Islamic Law) in 1987. He obtained his Master of Law (LLM) in 1989 and PhD in 1996 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, United Kingdom. He is an Accredited mediator from Australian Accord Group (2018) and certified Shariah Advisor from ASAS (2022). He is a qualified Shariah Legal Counsel in the Federal Territory Shariah Courts. He was conferred the title of Professor Emeritus in conjunction with the 65th University of Malaya (UM) Convocation Ceremony in December 2025, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the academic field.

Encik Izzam has been appointed as the member of the Shariah Committee since 1 April 2026. He was the Deputy Director and Shariah Specialist at Bank Negara Malaysia and currently serves as Research Consultant at ISRA Institute, INCEIF University, Executive Leadership Consultant at IBFIM and External Advisor for Shariah Degree Program at University Sultan Zainal Abidin. He also serves as Shariah Committee for several institutions including HSBC Amanah Malaysia, Bank Rakyat Malaysia and Federation of Financial Services Cooperatives of Malaysia. Formerly, he has held pivotal Shariah leadership and advisory roles across global financial centers, including Noor Investment Group in United Arab Emirates, Maybank Islamic Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, and Bena Capital in United States. Throughout his journey, he has contributed to policy development, advisory and strategic planning in the realm of central banking, Islamic banking, takaful, waqf and capital markets, supporting the advancement of Islamic finance beyond boundaries. A Fellow of the Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance and previously a member of the Islamic Finance Committee at the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, he has led numerous Shariah audits and conducted training and lectures in more than ten countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. He holds a Master’s in Islamic Banking, Finance and Management from the University of Gloucestershire United Kingdom, a Shariah Law’s degree from Al-Azhar University Egypt, Usul Fiqh's postgraduate from Fatah Institute Syria. He also completed his certificates in Public Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Economic for Public Policy from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

Dr. Zaharuddin has been appointed as the member of the Shariah Committee effective 1 July 2026. He is a distinguished Islamic finance expert with over 18 years of experience across the corporate, banking, and finance sectors, including Shariah-compliant product structuring, legal advisory, audit, and risk management. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Muamalat, UNISIRAJ, and has previously held adjunct appointments at the Faculty of Business and Accountancy, UNISEL, and at UNISZA. He is currently Chairman of the Shariah Committees for MARA Financing Division, Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB), DNEX Private Equity, Rural Capital Berhad, and Koperasi Kakitangan Felcra Berhad, and serves as a Shariah Committee member for EPF Malaysia (Simpanan Shariah) and Zurich Takaful Malaysia Berhad. He is also the Shariah Consultant for Moomoo Financial Services, Singapore, and Webull Corporation USA. He is a former member of the Shariah Advisory Council of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SAC SC) and has previously served as Chairman of the Shariah Committees for EXIM Bank Malaysia, UOB Islamic Banking, BNP Paribas Malaysia, and OSK Investment Bank. He is the Founding Managing Director of the Elzar Group of Companies, which comprises several innovative entities, including Myclass Technologies Sdn Bhd, Elzar Shariah Solutions Sdn Bhd, ZAZ Software Sdn Bhd (cloud accounting software), Mabrook Food Solutions Sdn Bhd (halal poultry processing), and Elzar Resources Sdn Bhd (halal F&B production). Dr. Zaharuddin is also a pioneer in technology-driven Islamic solutions and has established multiple platforms, including mycourse.my (EduTech), iurus.co (fintech), Shariahlab.io (AI for Islamic finance), myhajiumrah.com, hisabiz.com (cloud accounting with ChatGPT AI), neoinves.com (investor relationship management), myinfaq.org (Qurban, Aqiqah and Sadaqah), and masabih.org (Hadith translation and explanation).

• Shariah Committee's Terms of Reference (PDF)