Mobilising Capital For Meaningful Impact

Few people in Australia are redefining Islamic finance and impact investing quite like Tanvir Uddin. A Bangladeshi-born Australian with a global career spanning management consulting, microfinance, venture philanthropy, and fintech, Tanvir has spent his professional life asking a simple but powerful question: How can capital genuinely uplift people?

“Representation matters,” Tanvir says. “The more Muslim entrepreneurs we see building at scale, the more confidence the next generation will have to step forward.”

That question led him to found Wholesum in early 2023, now Australia’s only Islamic impact investment fund. Wholesum is built not just around halal investment, but around transforming real communities, creating jobs, and empowering founders who typically sit outside traditional funding pathways. Fast forward and in its first 18 months Wholesum has been selected to manage funds for institutional family office and private investors, alongside major established fund managers - for its impact-first approach. Wholesum is positioned at a national level within the Islamic financial and philantropic ecosystem.

As he prepares to speak at the Elevate Business Summit, Tanvir reflects on the role of faith, the power of community, and why the future of Islamic finance depends on building institutions with purpose at their core.

Faith, Purpose & the Birth of Wholesum

Tanvir’s journey into impact investing wasn’t accidental - it was shaped by faith, research, and lived experience. After early work in management consulting at McKinsey & Company in Australia, followed by roles in microfinance, renewable energy, and venture philanthropy with the Clinton Foundation–backed Acceso across Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, Tanvir saw firsthand how access to capital could change the trajectory of entire communities.

But as he returned to Australia, he noticed a stark gap: while wealthy investors enjoyed a wide variety of sophisticated financial products, everyday Muslims were limited to basic offerings that were halal in structure but lacked depth, purpose, or social benefit.

Through his PhD research in Islamic microfinance, he explored the Qur’anic principle of seeking what is halal and tayyib - not only permissible, but wholesome, beneficial, and rooted in ihsan (excellence). That philosophy became the foundation for Wholesum.

“We didn’t want to create another halal fund,” he explains. “We wanted to build an institution that transforms society - allocating capital into real businesses that create jobs, produce value, and empower underserved communities.”

From funding migrant-run small businesses in Australia, to supporting founders across emerging markets like Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, Kenya, and Oman, Wholesum focuses exclusively on investments that generate genuine economic and social uplift.

Impact, Innovation & Community Leadership

While many investment platforms claim to be “ethical” or “values-based,” Tanvir found that very few actually lived up to that promise. Retail investors faced high minimums, complex products, poor transparency, and limited access. Wealthy investors had opportunities, but everyday people - especially Muslim investors - were left behind.

Wholesum’s model is unique in Australia. Instead of investing in traditional asset classes like stocks and property, it funds real-economy businesses that create tangible value - jobs, products, services, and opportunities. Wholesum deploys catalytic capital directly into businesses and platforms through three channels: direct deals, broker partnerships, and fintech platform facilities.

A major milestone for Wholesum is what is about to become the first-ever Islamic tech-enabled financing facility in Australian history, secured through a $1 million partnership with the e-commerce fintech CogsFlow. The deal enables Muslim e-commerce founders - often locked out of traditional banking - to access fully Sharia-compliant working capital.

Another project close to Tanvir’s heart is Wholesum’s partnership with Jackfruit, a Kenyan education funder supporting rural schools. Wholesum is not only funding a pilot to improve school infrastructure but also helping Jackfruit develop Sharia-compliant financing so schools in East Africa can finally access ethical capital.

“We’re a small fund, but we want to pioneer solutions that don’t exist,” he says. “Whether it’s Kenyan schoolchildren or Muslim e-commerce founders, we want to push the boundaries of what Islamic finance can do.”

“These are the sorts of projects that excite me,” he adds. “Catalytic, impactful, and completely underserved.”

He sees Muslim entrepreneurs reshaping Australian business through values-driven leadership, high integrity, and bold innovation - from cybersecurity and renewables to billion-dollar data infrastructure. Leaders like Robin Khuda, whose AirTrunk exit became the largest private exit in Australian history, embody the new frontier of Muslim excellence.

“Representation matters,” Tanvir says. “The more Muslim entrepreneurs we see building at scale, the more confidence the next generation will have to step forward.”

Mobilising Capital & Inspiring the Next Generation

At Elevate 2026, Tanvir will share a message he believes is critical for the future of the community: we must build our own financial infrastructure for future generations.

His session will explore private credit and impact investing - showing how structured Islamic finance can be both high-return and high-impact, and why Muslim capital must flow into catalytic industries like business finance, education, home ownership, and vehicle finance.

“We can’t keep saying we need Islamic solutions but then leave our capital sitting in Big-4 bank savings accounts,” he says. “We have to back financial innovation that serves our community.”

He is equally passionate about encouraging young Muslims to take risks, experiment, and begin entrepreneurial journeys early.

“Just do it. Start something. Learn. Build. You don’t have to mortgage your life, just take the first step.”

He believes platforms like Elevate are essential because they break the silos that hold the community back. Mainstream professional summits bring together fund managers, advisors, innovators, and institutions - sparking collaboration and deal-flow. Tanvir wants to see the Muslim community experience the same level of connection and momentum.

“Great things happen when people come together. Learning, networking, opportunities, inspiration - it all compounds.”

At the heart of his leadership philosophy is a single sentence:

“Leadership is service. If you’re not ready to serve, you’re not ready to lead.”

Looking ahead, Wholesum is preparing to scale new financing facilities, deepen its fintech partnerships, expand its international impact portfolio, and continue building a holistic ecosystem for Islamic finance in Australia and beyond. “We want to generate wealth - but also generate inter-generational benefit,” he says. “If it doesn’t uplift people, it’s not success.”

Join Dr Tanvir Uddin at the Elevate Business Summit 2026, 7–10 May at Intercontinental Hayman Island, as he explores Private Credit, Impact Investing, and how capital can be mobilised to build the next generation of ethical financial institutions. Registrations are open now and filling fast. Numbers are strictly limited.

About Elevate

The Elevate Business Summit, held 7–10 May 2026 at the Intercontinental Hayman Island, brings together Australia’s most accomplished Muslim business leaders, thinkers, and innovators for three transformative days of insight, inspiration, and connection. Presented in partnership with Salaam, the summit explores how faith, ethics, and enterprise intersect to shape the next generation of purposeful leadership and prosperity.