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The ailing agriculture sector in Pakistan demands a supportive financial sector. The low adoption of Salam financing by Islamic banks does not match the potential demand. Empirical studies identified demand-led issues that led to a low proportion of Salam financing, but the exploration of supply-side constraints is overlooked.

This study has applied Interpretive Phenomenological Analyses on 20 interviews with the experts in the Islamic banking industry who play a role in decisions on Salam financing to the agriculture sector. The purpose of the study is to explore the determinants of low adoption of Salam financing by Islamic banks.

The experiences led to the major reasons for the low adoption of Salam financing categorized as intentions, attitudes and behavior control which corresponds to the theory of planned behavior.

This study is instrumental in exploring the supply-side constraints to Salam financing and helps find aligning theory to intervene via Islamic banking regulations.

Innovation in financing processes, enabled by the advent of new technologies, has supported the development of alternative finance funding tools. In this context, the study analyses the growing importance of alternative finance instruments (such as equity crowdfunding, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, venture capital, and others) in addressing the small and medioum enterprises' (SMEs) financing needs beyond traditional bank and market-based funding channels. By providing more flexible terms and faster approval times, these instruments are gradually reshaping the traditional bank-firm relationship.

To comprehensively understand this innovation shift in funding processes, the study employs a novel approach that merges three MCDA methods: Spherical Fuzzy Entropy, ARAS and TOPSIS. These methodologies allow for handling ambiguity and subjectivity in financial decision-making processes, examining the effects of multiple criteria, including interest rate, flexibility, accessibility, support, riskiness, and approval time, on the appeal of various financial alternatives.

The study’s results have significant theoretical and practical implications, supporting SMEs in carefully evaluate financing alternatives and enables banks to better identify the main “competitors” according to the “financial need” of the firm. Moreover, the rise of alternative finance, notably P2P lending, indicates a shift towards more efficient capital access, suggesting banks must innovate their funding channels to remain competitive, especially in offering flexible solutions for restructuring and high-risk scenarios.

The study advises top management that SMEs prefer traditional loans for their reliability and accessibility, necessitating banks to enhance transparency, innovate, and adopt digital solutions to meet evolving financing needs and improve customer satisfaction.

The study introduces a novel integration of Spherical Fuzzy TOPSIS, Entropy, and ARAS methodologies to face the complexities of financial decision-making for SME financing, addressing ambiguity and multiple criteria like interest rates, flexibility, and riskiness. It emphasizes the importance of traditional loans, the rising significance of alternative financing such as P2P lending, and the necessity for banks to innovate, thereby enriching the literature on bank-firm relationships and SME funding strategies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions, experiences and behaviors of women entrepreneurs and industry professionals in raising finance for women-led businesses and associated problems faced by the women entrepreneurs.

This qualitative research adopts a narrative inquiry strategy. In-depth interviews are used to collect data from women entrepreneurs and women industry professionals in Pakistan. NVivo qualitative data analysis software is used to organize, analyze and find insights in the qualitative data.

This research finds that women entrepreneurs struggle to secure financing for their businesses, and most of them have not been successful in obtaining loans from banks. Women entrepreneurs have relied on various sources of funding, including microfinance banks, grants, personal finance and family members. Some of the barriers to finance attainment for women entrepreneurs include sociocultural inhibitions, lack of awareness and limited information dissemination by financial institutions. Women professionals suggest that entrepreneurs should maintain a bank account, have proper documentation and show dedication to their business to improve their chances of obtaining financing.

This research provides theoretical contributions and methodological advancements in the study of financial inclusion for women-owned businesses in Pakistan. This research raises awareness about the difficulties women entrepreneurs face when trying to obtain credit from banks and other financial institutions and provides policy recommendations to inform the government about financial inclusion policies and financing policies for women entrepreneurs. Overall, this research contributes to the literature on financial access and access to finance for women-owned businesses in developing countries.

Based on the vulnerable group theory and theory of discouraged borrower, this paper has two important theoretical and practical implications. First, the findings of this study reveal that the financial services are indifferent to women, and there is a denial of women being vulnerable in the financial system, hence requiring a major policy shift to not portray women as vulnerable, as they will rationally feel risky and prefer to opt out of the financial system. Second, the findings suggest that the issue of access to finance for women is not in the financial services but in the women's capabilities and awareness. Therefore, a policy shift is suggested from “financial services for women” to “capability and awareness of women” to avail and access the current services.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the financial structure on innovation.

We utilize the matched firm-level data from two sources: the World Bank Enterprise Survey and the Innovation Follow-Up Survey. A total of 3,664 firms from 11 African countries are included.

The authors find a financially constrained and low technology-intensive firm that uses internal finance more than its peers is less likely to innovate. Our results also show that a firm that uses new equity and debt finance more than its peers is more likely to innovate. The results particularly suggest the significant effect of bank and trade credit finance on firms’ innovation. The extent and, in some cases, the direction of the effect of dependence on internal finance, new equity finance and debt finance on innovation vary due to the heterogeneity in firm size, age and ownership status. Corporate innovation is also associated with firm size, R&D, cooperation, staff training, public support, exportation and group membership.

The management of companies, particularly financially constrained firms, should reduce their dependence on internal finance, which negatively affects their innovation. As a remedy, they could improve their reliance on new equity finance and debt finance, especially bank finance and trade credit finance, which positively affect their innovativeness.

A pending policy task for African business leaders is to design and evaluate reforms that help create strong financial sectors willing to provide capital to a broad range of firms, particularly small and young firms.

This study adds new evidence to the recent surge of debate on the trade-off between going public, using debt or heavily using internal sources to finance innovative projects, and which of these is more important in promoting firm-level innovation.

Purpose: The book chapter seeks to investigate the numerous green finance measures already taken by various banks in the direction of Bangladesh’s sustainable development. The chapter also demonstrates the extent to which banks in the nation will use green finance between 2019 and 2022.

Need for the study: This study indicated that practically all banks participated in green finance initiatives to promote sustainable economic growth. Private commercial banks (PCBs) and foreign commercial banks (FCBs) have taken more measures than the other banks, although their efforts still fall short. Therefore, it will be better for the environment and sustainable growth if the financial industry adopts more green finance projects.

Methodology: The study mostly relied on secondary data and information gathered from Bangladesh Bank annual reports, numerous studies on green financing, and the websites of several institutions. Microsoft Excel has been used to examine the data. Data have been presented using tables, graphs, and charts.

Findings: Green financing is now the demand of the time because the whole world, especially Bangladesh, is facing adverse impacts from global warming and climate change. So environmental issues have become the main concern of the government, Bangladesh Bank, stakeholders, and society, and they wish to know about the initiatives towards green financing taken by the various banks to reduce the impact of global warming.

Implications: Policymakers, governments, private and public organisations, banking industries, and their stakeholders will benefit from the book chapter.

This study aims to highlight the issues encountered by Islamic Banking Institutions (IBIs) while financing the agriculture sector and explore the feasibility of Muzara’ah (crop sharing contract on partnership basis) model based on the concept of revolving credit as an alternative to current models.

To validate the proposed model and gauge the feasibility of Muzara’ah contract, a qualitative research method is applied based on 10 in-depth interviews with qualified industry experts and practitioners. These interviewees are selected following the purposive sampling method, and they belong to Sharīʿah board members of banking institutions, banking industry professionals engaged in agriculture lending, financial regulators (i.e. central bank personnel) and the farming community. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the data.

The findings of this study document that Muzara’ah can be a useful alternative/solution for the growth of agriculture sector portfolio of financial institutions. Muzara’ah is cost-effective than other Islamic products, including Salam (a kind of sale in which payment is made on the spot while the delivery of the goods is deferred), and carries the features of revolving credit as offered by conventional banks/counterparts.

The main limitation of the study is that only 10 in-depth interviews are conducted.

The application of the Sharīʿah compliant Muzara’ah model based on the concept of revolving credit could help increase agricultural productivity and revenues and reduce poverty and food insecurity. The research will help IBIs to develop products on the concept of Muzara’ah for farmers and other sectors of the agriculture industry.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, Muzara’ah contract is not offered by formal banking institutions in Pakistan. Hence, the findings contribute to the existing literature and facilitate the policymakers and practitioners in implementing this financial product for the growth of the agriculture sector.

Fintech has revolutionized personal finance, introducing innovative tools that offer unprecedented access, efficiency, and security in managing finances. This chapter explains fintech's personal finance applications, from intuitive budgeting apps and advanced robo-advisors to peer-to-peer payment platforms. It articulates how these tools have shifted the control and management of finances into the hands of consumers, providing real-time financial data, customized investment strategies, improved credit scores, and streamlined transactions that eliminate the need for traditional intermediaries. Furthermore, this chapter features a select list of FinTech50 firms and highlights how individuals can leverage their services. This comprehensive guide is invaluable for individuals seeking to leverage fintech for personal finance optimization and for professionals keen on understanding and navigating the rapidly evolving fintech landscape.

Purpose: This chapter examines the effect of green banking practices (GBPs) on environmental performance (EP), specifically focussing on the Sri Lankan banking industry. Additionally, the study explores the mediating impact of green finance in the association between GBPs and the EP of banks listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka.

Methodology: The survey included 233 banking employees from Sri Lanka, and data for this study were collected via questionnaires. The formulated hypotheses were tested employing a regression analysis.

Findings: GBPs such as employee, customer, operation, and policy-related practices significantly predicted the banks’ EP. Furthermore, the study highlights that green finance partially mediates the relationship between GBPs and banks’ EP in Sri Lanka.

Implications of the study: The study’s results indicate that banks should prioritise integrating GBPs in their organisations to enhance environmental and overall performance. Moreover, strategically utilising green financing techniques might be a substantial channel for banks to further strengthen their ecological dedication and influence.

Originality: This is the first study to investigate the impact of GBPs on banks’ EP with the mediating effect of green finance in the Sri Lankan context.

Based on signaling theory, this paper aims to explore the impact of supply chain transparency (SCT) on firms' bank loan (BL) and supply chain financing (SCF) in the context of voluntary disclosure of supplier and customer lists.

Based on panel data collected from Chinese-listed firms between 2012 and 2021, fixed-effect models and a series of robustness checks are used to test the predictions.

First, improving SCT by disclosing major suppliers and customers promotes BL but inhibits SCF. Specifically, customer transparency (CT) is more influential in SCF than supplier transparency (ST). Second, supplier concentration (SC) weakens SCT’s positive impact on BL while reducing its negative impact on SCF. Third, customer concentration (CC) strengthens the positive impact of SCT on BL but intensifies its negative impact on SCF. Last, these findings are basically more pronounced in highly competitive industries.

This study contributes to the SCT literature by investigating the under-explored practice of supply chain list disclosure and revealing its dual impact on firms' access to financing offerings (i.e. BL and SCF) based on signaling theory. Additionally, it expands the understanding of the boundary conditions affecting the relationship between SCT and firm financing, focusing on supply chain concentration. Moreover, it advances signaling theory by exploring how financing providers interpret the SCT signal and enriches the understanding of BL and SCF antecedents from a supply chain perspective.

Commercial banks are the catalysts for meeting the financing needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, not all commercial banks are equally attractive to SMEs because of differences in banking services’ key attributes. Moreover, customers’ preferences vary between Islamic and conventional banks. This paper aims to identify factors motivating SMEs to establish business ties with banks in Oman.

The authors collected data from 217 SMEs through a questionnaire survey. The data were analyzed using a t-test and structural equation modeling (SEM). In addition, the research applies the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework.

The t-test results show that SMEs place greater emphasis on electronic banking, convenient locations, religious beliefs and favorable terms and conditions. The results from the SEM analysis show that the SMEs in Oman consider attractive packages, including favorable rates, transaction processing time, fees and the availability of technology-enabled services, when choosing a bank. Moreover, customers who are aware of Islamic banking products are optimistic about the future of Shariah-based banking.

As a Muslim-majority country, Oman lags behind its Gulf Cooperative Council peers in terms of the development of the Islamic banking system. For the success of this mode of financing, it is essential to know which factors SMEs prioritize to establish ties with Islamic banks. Hence, the research is expected to provide new information for bank management to devise financial products attractive to investors.