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1 – 10 of over 9000Khadar Ahmed Dirie, Md. Mahmudul Alam and Selamah Maamor
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) devised by the United Nations (UN) call on countries – whether rich or poor – to solve global issues, improve lives and save the planet…
Abstract
Purpose
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) devised by the United Nations (UN) call on countries – whether rich or poor – to solve global issues, improve lives and save the planet for future generations. However, the UN predicts that between $5 and $7tn will need to be spent annually between now and 2030 to accomplish these goals, posing a major financial hurdle. Islamic social finance, if used ethically, seeks to realise SDGs through fairness, justice and equity. Thus, this study aims to determine how Islamic social finance instruments such as Zakat, Waqf, Sadaqat and Qard-hasan contribute to realising SDGs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses-based systematic literature review. Scopus and Google Scholar were chosen for the qualitative and meta-analysis of studies. The topic was reviewed in 178 academic papers from 2000 to 2022. The required articles were analysed after careful review.
Findings
Islamic social financing mechanisms have the capacity to solve many social issues and create better welfare conditions by ensuring economic, social and environmental sustainability in line with the SDGs. Indonesia and Malaysia lead Islamic social finance research, the survey found. The review revealed that Islamic social funding can achieve 11 out of 17 SDGs. Islamic commercial finance can be used for the remaining goals. The paper highlights Islamic social funding research limitations and opportunities.
Research limitations/implications
The review study shows that Islamic social finance can fill the SDG funding gap, especially considering the post-pandemic financial crisis that has increased global income inequality and social disparities.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this article is the first of its kind to review the potential of Islamic social financing instruments to help achieve the SDGs.
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Muhammad Rabiu Danlami, Muhamad Abduh and Lutfi Abdul Razak
Islamic banks, despite being Shariah-compliant, have long been criticized for mimicking conventional banks in terms of their products and processes (Khan, 2010; Kuran, 1996)…
Abstract
Purpose
Islamic banks, despite being Shariah-compliant, have long been criticized for mimicking conventional banks in terms of their products and processes (Khan, 2010; Kuran, 1996). However, several Islamic banks do engage in philanthropy (zakat and charity) and risk-sharing financing (mudarabah and musharakah) instruments that better meet their raison d'etre, the fulfillment of Maqasid al-Shariah (Jatmiko et al., 2023). These contracts, however, are more susceptible to moral hazard and adverse selection problems than traditional debt-based finance (Azmat et al., 2015) and may impair Islamic bank stability. This paper explores the relationship between social finance and the stability of Islamic banks, and whether institutional quality moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Using hand-collected annual data on social finance from 12 Islamic banks in four countries: Bangladesh, Bahrain, Indonesia and Malaysia, between 2006 and 2019, the authors employ the feasible generalized least squares and the panel-corrected standard errors methods for the analysis. The Stata version 16 software was used to analyze the data for the study.
Findings
The results indicate that mudarabah and musharakah financing raises the stability of Islamic banks. The authors also found that mudarabah and musharakah expose Islamic banks to more risk-taking behavior amidst the conditioning effect of institutional quality. On the other hand, charity induces the stability of Islamic banks, while zakat increases the risk-taking behavior of the banks. Further, when the quality of institutions was used as a moderator, both zakat and charity induced the stability of Islamic banks. The results were robust when liquidity risk was used and partially robust when portfolio risks were employed as measures of stability.
Research limitations/implications
One concern regarding the application of Islamic social finance is that it might be a risky strategy for Islamic banks. In terms of research implications, the available evidence suggests that the use of Islamic social finance instruments is not detrimental to the stability of Islamic banks. Hence, regulators and policymakers should not penalize Islamic banks for using Islamic social finance instruments that help provide financial solutions to the underserved and unserved. In terms of research limitations, the study could not include other relevant Islamic social finance instruments such as waqf and qard al-hassan. Furthermore, data availability restricts the analysis to only 12 Islamic banks in fourcountries. As more Islamic banks in different countries venture into Islamic social finance, and the quantity and quality of information improve, future studies could explore the issue further.
Social implications
The available evidence suggests that the use of Islamic social finance instruments does not worsen the stability of Islamic banks. Given the dominance of sale- and lease-based contracts in Islamic financing (Aggarwal and Yousef, 2000; Šeho et al., 2020), these findings should encourage other Islamic banks to provide financial solutions using other Shariah-compliant contracts including those based on risk-sharing and philanthropy. This would be a better reflection of the Islamic banks’ value proposition as it helps boost social activities that have a high impact on the activities of small businesses, contributing to the real economy and promoting well-being in society.
Originality/value
Previous studies mainly relied on mudarabah, mushakarah and zakat separately as they relate to the performance of Islamic banks. This study explores the impact of social finance which includes charity and zakat to examine their impact on Islamic banks’ stability. Further, the authors use institutional quality as a moderating variable in the relationship between Islamic social finance instruments and the stability of Islamic banks.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2022-0441
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Bringing more impact seems to be a real issue for social initiatives and organizations requiring the adoption of new approaches. The paper aims to define an integrated approach…
Abstract
Purpose
Bringing more impact seems to be a real issue for social initiatives and organizations requiring the adoption of new approaches. The paper aims to define an integrated approach for building, maintaining and upgrading Islamic social finance and sustainable ecosystems.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a conceptual framework based on case studies and literature review describing the methodology and the necessary steps to build sustainable ecosystems.
Findings
The paper shows the impact of building social finance ecosystems on tackling social issues. It emphasizes the idea that solving social issues is everybody’s business – from governments to businesses – and that those initiatives require sufficient Sharīʿah-compliant funding to achieve sustainability goals.
Research limitations/implications
The paper does not focus on the Islamic world experiences in building ecosystems serving social causes.
Practical implications
The paper gives an overview on how collaboration between the different social oriented organisations can enhance the social impact of the different initiatives. The aim is to ensure adequate financing to all the ecosystem components during the whole lifecycle.
Social implications
The suggested approach of building sustainable ecosystems can serve as a way to assess the existing social initiatives and practices to find relevant combinations targeting more impact.
Originality/value
In the social sphere, the idea of building ecosystems has been explored in different ways but never in a way that gathers all the components including finance providers, coordinators and the different types of initiatives. The paper adapts the ecosystem concept to the Islamic finance specificities.
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Islamic social finance assists in achieving social good and economic justice in societies by closing the gap between rich and poor in a Shariah compliant framework. COVID-19…
Abstract
Islamic social finance assists in achieving social good and economic justice in societies by closing the gap between rich and poor in a Shariah compliant framework. COVID-19 pandemic has created the opportunity to experience the untapped potential of Islamic social finance in many of the countries. This chapter sheds light on the use of Islamic social finance in Iran in the midst of the pandemic with the objective of sharing some Shariah compliant financial solutions for reducing undesirable consequences of the COVID-19. Iran is a country that has a unique Islamic financial system. Currently, it is the country where constitutionally and statutorily practices only shariah-compliant financing activities. This chapter reveals that tradability of justice shares, introduction of Shariah-compliant crowdfunding platforms, provision of Islamic microfinance vehicles in the form of Al-Qard Al-Hassan loans, payment facilities to factories damaged by COVID-19, low-profit rate Murabaha facilities for housing sector are some Shariah-compliant social finance products which were provided in Iran in the midst of the pandemic to provide financial solutions to fulfil the need of the society in a convenient and effective manner.
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Hanudin Amin, Faizah Panggi, Imran Mehboob Shaikh and Muhamad Abduh
The purpose of this study is to develop a new framework to measure waqif preference of waqf-based qardhul hassan financing in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a new framework to measure waqif preference of waqf-based qardhul hassan financing in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a maqāṣid approach, this study’s data were drawn from 286 valid usable questionnaires to examine the effects of consumer, family, ummah and humanity factors on the preference.
Findings
The study found that the said factors sourced from Attia’s maqāṣid al-Shariah were instrumental in determining waqif preference to donate in waqf-based qardhul hassan financing.
Research limitations/implications
Like others, this study’s findings are limited in terms of their generalisations and applications. The theory, context and variables used should be expanded in future works.
Practical implications
The results obtained are useful as a yardstick to enable the offered waqf-based qardhul hassan financing for improved mutual well-being among different classes of the wealth of societal groups in Malaysia. Furthermore, the results provide valuable insights into the direction for practitioners mainly managers involved in introducing waqf-based qardhul hassan financing as a new Islamic social financial instrument for poor and needy folks, at best.
Originality/value
This study is novel in terms of the proposed conceptual framework, where the waqif perspective comes into play.
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Faizi Faizi, Airlangga Surya Kusuma and Purwanto Widodo
This study aims to explore the potential of Islamic climate finance in Indonesia and to map Islamic climate finance based on Islamic finance instruments, both commercial and social…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the potential of Islamic climate finance in Indonesia and to map Islamic climate finance based on Islamic finance instruments, both commercial and social.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis was conducted in Jakarta, Indonesia, between October 2022 and June 2023. This study adopted a qualitative interpretive approach in two phases. The first phase was desk-based research which focused on document analysis such as official documents, scientific publications, non-governmental organization publications and company reports in Indonesia. This analysis was conducted to identify significant milestones in developing green and eco-friendly finance that used Islamic financial instruments in Indonesia. The second phase consisted of interviews with essential Islamic climate finance project actors, such as green sukuk publishers, zakat and waqf collection agencies, stakeholders, capital market regulators, Shariah supervisory boards and Islamic finance experts.
Findings
The main finding of this study is that the development of Islamic green finance in Indonesia can occur through various channels, including greening Islamic capital markets, greening Islamic social finance, Islamic green finance and developing green banking services for the unbanked to support financial inclusion. Green sukuk, or Islamic bonds, are key financial instruments in Islamic green finance. They are used to fund projects in areas such as clean energy, mass transit, water conservation, forestry and low-carbon technology. These green financing initiatives also include socially responsible investments that are designed to improve the lives of people and communities.
Research limitations/implications
First, the availability of data on Islamic green finance practices in Indonesia may be limited, making it difficult to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape. Second, cultural and religious factors may play a role in the adoption and implementation of Islamic green finance, and these factors may vary across different regions in Indonesia.
Practical implications
The exploration and clustering of Islamic climate finance based on Islamic financial instruments in Indonesia can lead to the development of more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the financial industry.
Originality/value
This study serves as a pioneering effort to explore the potential and clustering of Islamic climate finance based on Islamic financial instruments in Indonesia.
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M. Kabir Hassan, Aishath Muneeza and Adel M. Sarea
This chapter explores the impact of the pandemic on Islamic commercial finance and Islamic social finance in a comprehensive manner. The chapter reveals that COVID-19 has provided…
Abstract
This chapter explores the impact of the pandemic on Islamic commercial finance and Islamic social finance in a comprehensive manner. The chapter reveals that COVID-19 has provided more opportunities to Islamic social finance than Islamic commercial finance. The beauty of Islamic finance in this regard is reflected as the perception that Islamic finance does not achieve its objective as being a social finance is proved to be false as Islamic finance not only promotes profit maximization, but it has also the potential to achieve social objectives. Islamic commercial finance developments could be slower, but it is anticipated that Islamic social modes of financing will be used widely even by multilateral agencies to assist the communities who need help in this pandemic. The most important lesson one could learn from this pandemic in relation to Islamic finance is that Islamic finance is truly different from conventional finance and as such, it needs a unique legal, regulatory and governance framework to display the true potential of it.
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Ssemambo Hussein Kakembo, Muhamad Abduh and Pg Md Hasnol Alwee Pg Hj Md Salleh
Despite the fact that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in strengthening the financial sector within developing and emerging economies through providing…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the fact that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in strengthening the financial sector within developing and emerging economies through providing employment opportunities to the rural and urban population, capacity building in the form of skills training and economic empowerment, they still face a plethora of challenges that continue to threaten their existence, performance and growth. Access to operational and administrative funds needed to execute their activities effectively is a significant challenge and detrimental to the growth of SMEs in Uganda. Conversely, Islamic microfinance has been noted as a panacea to the challenges of financial inaccessibility among SMEs, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is therefore to investigate how the adoption of Islamic microfinance can play a fundamental role in enhancing the sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs) while meeting the financing challenges of SMEs in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a review of existing literature was carried out to critically examine relevant information (literature sources) and empirical studies on SMEs, their performance and challenges. The study being conceptual tries to understand how Islamic microfinance could be adopted as an alternative scheme of financing to bridge the gap and mitigate the financial challenges facing SMEs.
Findings
The study finds that the existing MFIs have failed to achieve their objectives of providing financial services to the poor and SMEs while remaining sustainable. This has left the majority of SMEs within Uganda's informal sector financially handicapped, thus leading to their failure in meeting their expectations and eventually collapsing even before celebrating their third or fourth birthdays. However, the enactment into law of the Financial Institutions Amendment Act 2016 that paved the way for the introduction of Islamic finance in Uganda, and the Tier 4 Microfinance Institutions and Money Lenders' Act, 2016 that incorporated the aspects of Islamic microfinance within the existing microfinance framework as seen and is perceived as a key factor in addressing the financial challenges faced by MFIs and the SMEs if fully adopted.
Research limitations/implications
This study is conceptual with no empirical investigation and discussion of key theories. On the contrary, it will be imperative and useful when carrying out more extensive hypothetical studies by future researchers, specifically in the area of Islamic microfinance that is relatively new in Uganda.
Practical implications
Practically, this paper will serve as a guide to policymakers and practitioners in the field of microfinance by adding a flair that could enable in bridging the challenges associated with inadequate financing of SMEs in Uganda.
Social implications
Socially, the social aspects of charity (Zakah and Sadaqah) will help to improve the livelihood of the poorest of the poor who cannot engage in active business through meeting their basic needs of life without begging thereby preventing them from being social outcasts.
Originality/value
The study establishes Islamic microfinance (IMF) as a promising and unexplored viable option potentially needed in intensifying the financing needs of SMEs in Uganda. The paper provides an entirely new dimension in nature and way microfinance products should be structured with a view of ensuring that there is sustainable provision of financial services to SMEs. The paper adds real value to the existing conventional microfinance products and services in Uganda, given the ethical and moral attributes of Islamic microfinancing practices that are assumed to efficiently and effectively motivate SME owners and other small entrepreneurs to thrive.
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Muhammad Nouman, Muhammad Fahad Siddiqi, Karim Ullah and Shafiullah Jan
This paper aims to conceptualize the nexus between the participatory finance and the higher ethical objectives within the Islamic moral economy, also termed as Maqasid al Shari’ah.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conceptualize the nexus between the participatory finance and the higher ethical objectives within the Islamic moral economy, also termed as Maqasid al Shari’ah.
Design/methodology/approach
Insights from the extant Islamic economics and finance literature are integrated through an interpretative systematic review using the principles from critical interpretative synthesis (CIS).
Findings
A coherent framework is synthesized comprising the typology of the Maqasid al Shari’ah, the axioms of participatory finance and their nexus which is formulated by theorizing the common thread of meaning through the axioms of participatory finance and Maqasid al Shari’ah at the interpretative level. This framework postulates that the participatory finance fits well in the ethos and the value system of Islam. Moreover, “social well-being” invariably provides the nexus between the Maqasid al Shari’ah and participatory finance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the Islamic economics and finance literature by integrating the dissenting views from the divergent literature related to the basic philosophy of Shari’ah and participatory finance and provides grounds for policy implications, particularly, for designing the financial products. Moreover, it demonstrates an application of interpretative systematic review in Islamic banking and finance research.
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This chapter uses Islamic finance to question the universality of contemporary finance leading principles. It establishes the existence of different financial paradigms and…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter uses Islamic finance to question the universality of contemporary finance leading principles. It establishes the existence of different financial paradigms and attempts to determine the form that might take operations in a non-profit maximising context.
Methodology/approach
This chapter uses Thomas Kuhn’s notion of paradigm to demonstrate that Islamic finance has its own dominant logic and, hence, cannot be reduced to a subset of contemporary finance. It describes how the former has been infused by the leading principles of the latter following the adoption by the Islamic financial field of an accounting system using a conventional referential as a point of reference. Finally, the chapter elaborates on the form that might take financing if profit maximisation is not the operation’s main purpose.
Findings
If the condition of profit maximisation is relaxed, the utilisation of Islamic finance instruments might lead to the creation of economical microcycles able to enlarge the socio-economic reach of financing operation.
Originality/value
The notion of economic intermediation is introduced to describe the operations of Islamic banks using their instruments in a non-maximising context. This approach should not be restricted to Islamic finance but viewed as the result of a case study advocating for an alternative view of finance favouring socio-economic development.
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