Published
11/20/2025, 15:05In Astana, the EDB and Eastcomtrans LLP signed a General Murabahah Agreement, the bank's first Islamic financing project in the real sector. The document was signed by Ruslan Dalenov, Deputy Chairman of the EDB Management Board, and Almas Abaideldinov, CEO of the company.
The project is being implemented on the basis of a commodity murabahah mechanism. This is a common international instrument: the bank purchases goods and sells them to the customer at a fixed margin, and the customer pays in installments. For the EDB, this step is not just a new product, but a shift towards alternative and sustainable financial solutions.
Eastcomtrans will use the funds received for capital, depot, and routine repairs of railcars. This will increase the efficiency of freight transportation and strengthen the region's transport connectivity, which is particularly relevant given the growing load on Central Asia's logistics infrastructure.
Ruslan Dalenov emphasized that the project demonstrates the bank's readiness to expand its range of sought-after instruments and support new areas of development. In fact, this is the first brick in the creation of the EDB's “Islamic window” — a platform through which the bank will be able to promote products that comply with Islamic financing standards.
For the region, this opens up new sources of support for key industries and infrastructure initiatives. And for the EDB, it is an opportunity to strengthen its role as an international development institution offering a wider range of solutions to member countries.
