Knowledge base
Resources
Background on the regions we bridge, the institutions that govern global commerce, and the working vocabulary of international trade.
The Arab World
The Arab World consists of the Arab states stretching from Mauritania in the west to Oman in the east — home to well over 323 million people, with combined economies exceeding US$1 trillion. The region is characterised by religious pluralism: Christianity and Judaism maintain significant communities alongside Islam. It is worth noting that "Islam", "Muslims" and "Arabs" are distinct categories — roughly 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arab. Family structures remain central to Arab society, and the Arabic language is its defining common thread, alongside rich local dialects and minority cultures.
The Islamic World
The "Muslim World" or "Islamic World" refers to the global community of approximately 1.9 billion Muslims — about a quarter of the world's population — known collectively as the Ummah. Fifty-seven states are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the common benchmark for identifying Islamic nations. The most populous are Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh, each exceeding 100 million people.
The League of Arab States
The Arab League, headquartered in Cairo, was established on 22 March 1945 with seven founding states and today counts 22 members. It coordinates economic affairs — including commercial relations, communications, cultural affairs, nationality, passports and visas, social affairs and health. Membership is based on cultural affiliation rather than geography. See the League online.
Money & Islamic Investment
Multilateral & financial institutions
The principal institutions governing development finance, Islamic finance and world trade.
Trade Glossary
The vocabulary of trade
Working references compiled by the Chamber for members' day-to-day documentation. Request the full glossaries from the Secretariat.
Incoterms
The ICC's standard trade terms — EXW, FCA, FAS, FOB, CFR, CIF, CPT, CIP, DAP, DPU, DDP — defining where risk and cost pass between seller and buyer. See the current edition, Incoterms® 2020, at iccwbo.org.
Banking terms
Letters of credit, documentary collections, bank guarantees, bills of exchange and the instruments of trade finance — including their Islamic-finance equivalents such as Murabahah-based trade financing.
Freight forwarding & ocean cargo insurance
The language of carriage: bills of lading, demurrage, general average, Institute Cargo Clauses and related marine insurance terms.
SWIFT & telex field definitions
Field-by-field references for interbank messages (MT 700 series for documentary credits and related payment messages).
Trade abbreviations & general trade terms
The general working abbreviations of international commerce, from AWB to WPA, with plain-language definitions.
Weights & measures conversion
Metric–imperial conversion for commercial documentation. A convenient converter is available at convertit.com.