With the vision of becoming a preeminent facilitator of trade and investment activities in the Muslim world with Malaysia leading the progress of the Islamic economy, the OIC International Business Centre was established in 2003 in conjunction with the preparations for the 10th Session of The Islamic Summit Conference in Putrajaya.
After the successful undertakings of several activities including the publication of the international business and investment magazine (OIC TODAY) and a number of directories, a decision was made in 2010 to organise the Muslim World Business and Investment Zone as a unique platform that acts as a one stop festival for businesses to connect and cooperate.
The Muslim World Biz is endorsed by the Government of Malaysia and it is supported by a number of its ministries and agencies especially MITI and MATRADE. The event is organised in collaboration with the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), a subsidiary organ of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Association of Muslim World Business Malaysia.
Established during the 10th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, OIC TODAY magazine has the mandate of disseminating timely updates about the business and investment opportunities each of the 57 OIC member countries has. As one of the products by the OIC International Business Centre, the magazine gained popularity and was recognised in many of the Islamic countries where the readership profile includes government officials, industry leaders, diplomats, business professionals, academicians and students.
The diversification of the content has been instrumental in benefiting a wide range of industries by spotlighting the main characteristics of each and how they could be integrated to maximize the benefits. The magazine is published monthly and it honours three of the most prestigious awards in the Muslim world namely: the Jewels of the Muslim World Award, the Muslim World Rania Award and the Muslim World Entrepreneur Development Awards.
One of the important elements that have been lacking in the efforts of enhancing the progress of the Islamic economy is the organisation of industries and their needs so that strategies would be created to fulfill them. Therefore, the OIC International Business Centre created a series of trade directories, each of which focuses on one industry such as trade and investment, oil and gas, higher education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture etc.
The updated information in these directories is of great usefulness for businesses and investors to identify potential partners or investment opportunities. Inside the directories many companies own their advertising space to promote their products and services to a large number of audiences across the Muslim world. Currently, efforts are being put to organise the directories and present them electronically as part of comprehensive platform which will act as a reference for businesses from Islamic and non-Islamic countries.
While the OIC TODAY magazine partly contains sophisticated knowledge and analytical reports about business and investment, the Muslim World Biz tabloid features lighter types of news which is enjoyable in addition to being beneficial. The target audience is mostly the youth and that is why the content is designed to highlight the issues which concern them. The tabloid is published monthly and it is distributed free of charge at the libraries of universities, train stations and other public avenues.