The Labuan Financial Services Authority announced that the Labuan International Business and Financial Centre (IBFC) has climbed to 55th place in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 39), up from 60th previously, and has been reclassified from the International Specialist category to the International Contender category. In GFCI 39, Labuan IBFC was ranked among 120 financial centres worldwide and was listed among the top six Asia Pacific centres showing upward movement. The update also highlighted a 37th place global ranking for its FinTech Offering and recognition as one of the top 15 centres with a Reputational Advantage. Labuan IBFC’s positioning was linked to Malaysia’s 2025 FATF Mutual Evaluation outcome, which noted strengthened defences against illicit finance and recognised Labuan IBFC within Malaysia’s broader AML/CFT/CPF framework, alongside references to its cross-border structuring proposition and its sustainable finance offerings including climate sukuk and an ecosystem of Islamic digital exchanges, Islamic digital banks and sukuk platforms.