Yogyakarta — The Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta successfully held The 1st International Conference on Islamic Finance and Management Studies (ICIFiMS) on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. This conference is an important milestone in the development of Islamic economics and management science, by presenting 46 participants from various national and international academic backgrounds.

Located in the Theatrical Room on the 5th floor of the FEBI Building, the opening ceremony was lively and warm. The event opened with an acoustic performance by Nadina Sri Halimah, S.E., and the traditional Saman dance from the Almaer dance group, creating a blend of cultural richness and academic spirit. The opening series continued with the reading of the holy verses of the Qur'an, singing the song Indonesia Raya and the Hymn of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, remarks by the Dean of FEBI Prof. Dr. Misnen Ardiansyah, and a keynote speech from the Chancellor of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan. The opening was hosted by two MCs, Ziki Muhammad Azzam and Fitria Dwi Rahmawati, and closed with a video presentation and a joint prayer.

The conference presented a number of leading experts in the plenary session, such as Dr. Dadang Husen Sobana, M.Ag., CSBA (UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung), Prof. Dr. Azri Bhari (UiTM, Malaysia), Dr. Norhaidah Abu Bakar (UniSZA, Malaysia), and Dr. Abdul Qoyum, M.Sc.Fin. (UIN Sunan Kalijaga). The plenary session became a forum for sharing insights and cutting-edge research in the field of Islamic finance and management. In addition, parallel sessions were also held in a hybrid manner, attended by researchers from various countries who presented their research results and received direct input from experts.

Four participants from FEBI UIN Sunan Kalijaga showed impressive performances in the parallel session. They are Sifa Rohmatika and Lea Fathra Azha Nabiela from the Sharia Financial Management Study Program, and Riskiana Elina and Dimas Fahmi Azizy from the Sharia Economics Masters Program. Sifa won the Best Paper award for the Green Finance category through her work entitled "Green Hype or Smart Move? Gen Z's ESG Obsession Unpacked." Meanwhile, Lea won the Best Presenter title for her presentation "What are the Drivers of Customers Loyal to M-Banking Sharia With AI Adoption? A Multigroup Religiosity Analysis."

The success of ICIFiMS is also supported by the solid synergy between study programs at FEBI: Sharia Financial Management, Sharia Accounting, Sharia Economics, Sharia Banking, and the Masters in Sharia Economics. This collaboration is strengthened through strategic partnerships with various international partner institutions, such as Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Fatoni University (Thailand), Jawaharlal Nehru University (India), and Mindanao State University (Philippines). Not to forget, a number of UIN, IAIN, and national universities were also actively involved as co-hosts.

The closing ceremony was warm and reflective, marked by the announcement of awards for the best participants and closing remarks from Dr. Darmawan, S.Pd., MAB., CFRM., Head of the FEBI Islamic Financial Management Study Program. The event closed with a photo session with all participants, committees, and speakers.

The success of ICIFiMS 2025 is also inseparable from the support of sponsors, such as Aruna, Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), and Bank Indonesia (BI). This support reflects the real synergy between the academic world and industry, and strengthens a shared commitment to creating a productive and impactful dialogue space for the development of global Islamic finance.

With the implementation of ICIFiMS 2025, FEBI UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta confirms its position as a center of excellence in encouraging the birth of strategic and solution-oriented thinking in the field of Islamic finance and management, as well as becoming a pioneer of an inclusive and highly competitive international scientific forum.