Abu Dhabi, UAE

The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), the insurance arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, today signed a wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) which is set to give a major boost to the transition to renewable and clean energy in markets of mutual interest to both entities.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Oussama Kaissi, Chief Executive Officer of ICIEC, and Mr. Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, held between 15-19 January 2023.

Under the MoU, the two parties agree to co-operate “in promoting joint action in the origination, financing, and execution of renewable energy projects through ICIEC’s insurance support in its member states.”

Among ICIEC’s mandate is to promote the flow of foreign investments among and into its member states and enlarge the scope of trade transactions between them. This includes support for transitioning to clean energy through the generation of electricity from renewable non-emitting sources and, eventually the transition to a Green Economy whilst ensuring sustainable economic growth.

Masdar is similarly mandated to develop commercially viable renewable energy projects in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and international markets. In December 2021, Masdar launched a global clean energy powerhouse partnership with ADNOC, Mubadala and Taqa intended to spearhead the drive to net-zero carbon by 2050.

The partnership will have a combined current, committed, and exclusive capacity of over 23 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, with the expectation of reaching over 50GW total capacity by 2030. The expanded Masdar entity will become one of the largest clean energy companies of its kind and be well-positioned to lead the industry on a global scale.

Masdar and ICIEC share a common interest in contributing to the growth of renewable energy in ICIEC member states, including in the MENA region, and to the international climate finance architecture. ICIEC is positioned to play a key role in private sector engagement through the credit enhancement its policies provide to financial institutions on the one hand and the access it has to its Member State national and sub-national bodies who are the custodians of the relevant Climate Action projects and transactions.

Mr. Oussama Kaissi, CEO of ICIEC, welcomed the signing of this landmark MoU. “Co-operation between ICIEC and Masdar would bring about better co-ordination and more efficient implementation of their respective activities to the benefit of renewable energy production in ICIEC Member States. At ICIEC, each of our insurance policies, whether the policyholder is a financial institution, specialized company, or contractor, that offers cover against political and commercial risks, can contribute to the flow of Climate Action-related investment, specialized technology and equipment or services into its Member States thereby contributing to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and UN SDG Agenda.”