Mr. Hamid Joda, Founder and Managing Director of TAJBank Limited, was named the Islamic Banker of the Year 2026 by the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) at its 16th annual ceremony in the United Kingdom.
At the same event, TAJBank was also awarded the GIFA Championship Award (Digital Banking) 2026, recognising the bank’s achievements in digital Islamic banking services.
GIFA Chairman Prof. Humayon Dar explained that the awards were granted after the committee “considered a number of distinguished nominees in these categories and, after careful deliberation, decided in favour of TAJBank and Yourself based on various factors outlined in the GIFA Methodology.”
Mr. Joda was represented at the ceremony by TAJBank’s Chief Compliance Officer, Dr. Muhammad Kabir Muhammad. Dato’ Iqbal Khan, a former CEO of HSBC Amanah and a GIFA committee member, praised the award as “well deserved” and highlighted the bank’s adherence to the GIFA methodology.
In a statement, Mr. Joda said the honour was a “call for a renewed commitment to Islamic banking practices in the country” and thanked the board, management, staff, customers, regulatory authorities, and shareholders for their support. He pledged to continue positioning TAJBank as Nigeria’s largest Islamic bank through ethical banking practices.
Joda, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, brings more than 26 years of experience across deposit and Islamic banking operations. He has previously received the GIFA Most Promising Banker of the Year Award at the 13th ceremony in Dakar, Senegal, and the Islamic Personality of the Year Award at the 6th African International Conference of Islamic Finance in Abuja, Nigeria.
These accolades underscore TAJBank’s growing influence in the Islamic banking sector and its commitment to expanding access to Sharia‑compliant financial services across Nigeria.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
