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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the income structure of Islamic banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and to explore the effect of the diversification of banks' earning on risks that may harm these latter.

Using data from 2002‐2008 for 42 Islamic banks, this article provides descriptive and analytical analysis and multiple regression equations.

This article reveals that greater reliance on the income share of the profit‐loss‐sharing products is associated with higher risk and higher insolvency risk for both listed Islamic banks and non‐listed Islamic banks. However, no effect has been observed between the operation income of non‐profit‐losses‐sharing products and risk levels. That is why listed banks prefer to invest less in non‐profit‐loss‐sharing products than in profit‐loss‐sharing products.

Financial regulators in emerging Islamic financial market should help Islamic banks to find equilibrium between the expansion of the Islamic financial market and respect for the raison d'être of Islamic finance: the profit and loss sharing mechanisms.

To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first article that empirically tests why Islamic banks prefer to invest less in profit‐loss‐sharing products. Also, this article contributes to studying the relationship between Islamic finance and risk.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the awareness of non-Muslims coming from a non-Muslim-majority country regarding Islamic financial services, in particular, the takaful products.

This paper uses structured questionnaires to acquire and understand South Korean citizens’ perceptions of Islamic financial services (primarily takaful) to reinforce the scant previous literature in this area of research. The questionnaires are developed and adapted based on a previous study by Htay and Salman (2013). The sample consisted of 121 Korean people who were living in Ampang, a popular suburb for South Koreans in Kuala Lumpur.

The findings indicate that even South Korean citizens who have dwelled in Malaysia for a significant amount of time had little awareness of Islamic financial services. Upon personal explanation about the product, however, they showed a significant interest to get to know about takaful and a willingness to subscribe to it in the near future.

Respondents are limited to only South Koreans who are residing in Malaysia.

Understanding the level of awareness about Islamic financial services among non-Muslims residing in Muslim-majority country.

There is ample scope to penetrate the non-Muslim market for Islamic financial products.

There is a growing concern over the lack of research in the area of perceptions of Islamic financial services among non-Muslims from non-Muslim-majority countries. The lack of study in this area of research has often been overshadowed by research studies on perceptions of Islamic financial services among non-Muslim residents in Muslim-majority countries, which may have led to a dearth of proper strategies in the Islamic financial industry to penetrate non-Muslim-majority markets.

This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT) in reducing poverty.

The case study approach on BMT MMU Sidogiri (located at East Java Province) is taken. Two important and dominating products of BMT MMU Sidogiri (i.e. ba’i bithaman ‘ajil (BBA) and mudarabah) are examined carefully on how much they have helped the customers in reducing their poverty. The paper goes beyond data measurement using descriptive statistics, paired t-test and some poverty measurement indexes such as headcount index; poverty gap; Sen index; and Foster, Greer and Thorbecke Index to investigate the effectiveness of the BMT in reducing poverty.

This paper reveals that BMT financing is effective in reducing poverty. Most of respondents can increase their income after receiving BMT financing. Products of BMT, especially BBA and mudarabah, to empower the poor in various productive businesses have been able to reduce the extent and severity of poverty. This paper also discloses some interesting and important findings related with how BMT’s work, so that it can contribute more to the knowledge enrichment, as well as the development of BMTs, in general, in realising their mission.

The establishment of the so-called BMT in the form of an Islamic microfinance is intended initially to effectively help the poor. At present, there are around 3,874 BMTs operating around the country. Although the BMTs have been existing since more than ten years, no research has been conducted to examine their effectiveness in alleviating the poverty. This study in aimed at fulfilling this important gap.

This paper aims to determine the effect of equity financing on bank stability during normal and crisis periods.

This study uses a static panel regression that includes pooled ordinary least square, random effect and fixed effect model to examine the influence of equity financing on bank stability. In estimating bank stability during a financial crisis, the authors predict the occurrence of a crisis using the early warning system (EWS). The authors then used z-score to measure Islamic banks’ stability.

Islamic banks that offer equity financing structure are more stable compared to Islamic banks without such structure. Islamic banks with medium equity financing have highest stability relative to Islamic banks with high or low equity financing. During crises, the Islamic banks with equity financing structure remain relatively stable compared to other Islamic banks.

The sampling coverage could have included a larger number of countries and banks.

The authorities need to strengthen the banking framework to support the Islamic financial products by encouraging a wider use of risk-sharing instruments. Besides using a debt-like financing structure, Islamic banks should also place emphasis on equity financing in instilling the banking sector stability. In monitoring banks with equity financing, the authorities may need to look into the level of equity financing.

Besides avoiding riba and gharar in financing, equity financing encourages cooperation and participation among society as they share the risks.

This paper analyses the effect of equity financing on the Islamic banks stability during normal and crisis periods. This paper further examines the intensity of the equity financing and its influence on bank stability.

The main issue is whether customers prefer convenience over Shariah compliance or the opposite when they decide their Islamic banking needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore why customers adopt Islamic banking products and services: Shariah compliance or convenience?

Using convenience sampling, 310 respondents’ data were collected through online survey. For testing the fit and hypotheses of the proposed model, AMOS 25 software and Smart-PLS 4.0 software have been used.

Attitude, Islamic value and convenience have significant determinants of Islamic banking products and services. Shariah compliance has no direct or indirect influence on neither intention nor actual behaviour to adopt Islamic banking services. Furthermore, gender has no such differential effect on the adoption.

Managers and marketers of Islamic banks may benefit from the findings of this study, which demonstrate fresh insights regarding the factors which help in strategy formulations to promote Islamic banking services.

The growth of Islamic banks, branches and windows is remarkable in both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority countries in the world. This paper postulates the behavioural finance studies in Islamic banking and finance research stream by extending the theory of planned behaviour of Ajzen (1985) as all the three new constructs (Islamic value, convenienc and Shariah compliance) are statistically fit for further studies. However, only Islamic value and convenience are the two significant factors which drive customers to take decision in the proposed model. This study gives insights to the bankers and authority about the consumer behaviour.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons behind low penetration of Islamic banking in Pakistan. Specifically, the study investigates the differentiation of Islamic banks (IBs) from conventional banks, the role of religion in choosing Islamic banking and the perception of IBs amongst the consumers.

The study uses a mixed-method approach, qualitative research along with a survey of users of conventional and Islamic banking. Factor analysis identified underlying dimensions and cluster analysis ascertained the differences between users and non-users of Islamic banking. Inferential statistics were used to test purported hypotheses.

The study finds that the users and non-users both perceive that Islamic banking is not completely interest-free. Furthermore, consumers presume that IBs are more of eyewash and are not truly practicing Islamic banking. Moreover, religion is not a major factor that attracts new users but there are also other important factors in marketing Islamic banking, such as service quality, convenience, branch network, etc.

This is one of the sparse studies in the field of Islamic banking consumer behaviour, which uses focus groups of users and non-users, and in-depth interviews of experts, to identify the issues and factors considered relevant and important by the users rather than relying only on literature review. Furthermore, it also provides a profile of users versus non-users of Islamic banking which is very useful for segmentation and targeting of customers.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze marketability constructed from market share and concentration and to test its effect on the profitability and the mediation effects of profit‒loss sharing under stewardship theory.

This research employs data of financial statements published by ten sharia commercial banks listed in the Indonesia Financial Services Authority during the period 2011–2016. The data are analyzed into path analysis model using multiple mediators.

The result reveals that sharia banks’ marketability in Indonesia tends to be low. Based on the test of significance through Partial Least Square, it is found that marketability has a positive effect on the level of profitability, indicating that market share and concentration of sharia banks positively lead the change on the level of Return on Asset and Return on Equity. This paper further identifies the mediation effects emerged through mudharabah and musharakah. The results point out that mudharabah has a partial effect and musharakah has a competitive effect on the relationship between market share and profitability.

This paper can be a decision-maker for Central Bank and Financial Services Authority for encouraging sharia banks to enhance the power market through the mode of finances with profit‒loss sharing.

The growth of sharia banks is currently becoming highlight of the literature of sharia banks. This paper provides insights into stewardship theory that sharia banking management provides the concept of the alignment of interest.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of discretionary loan loss provisions (DLLPs) and non-performing loans (NPLs) on the liquidity risk of both Islamic banks (IBs) and conventional banks (CBs) before and after the global crisis that hit nations belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

This empirical study uses balanced panel data on 16 IBs and 58 CBs operating in the six Gulf Cooperation states covering 2000–2014. The data were obtained from the Bankscope database and the banks’ annual reports.

The results indicate that NPLs affect liquidity risk differently across the banks – specifically, there is a significant difference in the funding and managing of liquidity between the two bank types. The authors find that the influence of DLLPs does not vary across the banks in the overall analysis and before the crisis. This finding provides insights into the unique nature of banking risks in dual banking systems. The authors also find that after the crisis, the discretionary LLPs affected liquidity risk differently across the banks.

This study has several practical implications. First, the findings suggest that the Islamic Financial Services Board and other IBs regulators should reassess several regulations, principles and products in order to reduce their credit and liquidity risks. Second, the study emphasizes the need for banks to perform a careful assessment of the effects of their LLP policies. Finally, the findings are also relevant to bankers, as they provide empirical evidence on the effect of loan growth on bank liquidity, suggesting that bankers should improve their loan management.

First, this is the first study to examine discretionary LLPs, NPLs and liquidity risk in IBs; it is also the first comparative study between Islamic and CBs. Second, the study provides evidence on how the global crisis impacted the banking sector and identifies some of the main determinants of liquidity risk for both Islamic and CBs operating in GCC countries.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of regulation and market competition on the risk-taking Behaviour of financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The empirical framework is based on panel fixed effects/random effects specification. For robustness purpose, this study also uses the generalized method of moments estimation technique. This study tests the hypothesis that regulatory capital requirements have a significant effect on financial stability of Islamic and conventional banks (CBs) in the MENA region. This study also investigates the moderating effect of market power and concentration on the relationship between capital regulation and bank risk.

The estimation results support the view that capital adequacy ratio (CAR) has no significant impact on credit risk of Islamic banks (IBs), whereas market competition does play a significant role in shaping the risk behavior of these institutions. This study report opposite results for CBs – an increase in the minimum capital requirements is followed by an increase in a bank’s risk level, which has a negative impact on their financial stability. Furthermore, the results support the notion of a non-linear relationship between banking concentration and bank risk. The findings inform the regulatory authorities concerned with improving the financial stability of banking sector in the MENA region to set their policy differently depending on the level of concentration in the banking market.

This study contributes to the literature on the effectiveness of regulatory reforms (in this case, capital requirements) and market competition for bank performance and risk-taking. In regard to IBs, capital requirements are less effective in requiring IBs to adjust their risk level according to the Basel III methodology. This study finds that IBs’ risk behavior is strongly associated with market competition, and therefore, the interest rates. Moreover, banks operating in markets with high banking concentration (but not necessarily, low competition), will decrease their credit risk level in response to an increase in the minimum capital requirements. As a result, these banks will be more stable compared to their conventional peers. Thus, regulators and policymakers in the MENA region should restrict the risk-taking behavior of IBs through stringent capital requirements and more intense banking supervision.

The practical implications of these findings are that the regulatory authorities concerned with improving banking sector stability in the MENA region should proceed differently, depending on the level of banking market concentration. The findings inform regulators and policymakers to set capital requirements at levels that would restrict banks from taking more risk to increase their returns. They are also important for bank managers who should avoid risky strategies in response to increased regulatory pressure (e.g. increase in the minimum required capital level of 8%), as they may lead to an increase in the level of non-performing loans, and therefore, a greater probability of bank default. A future extension of this study will focus on testing the effect of bank risk-taking and market competition on the capitalization levels of banks in the MENA countries. More specifically, this study will investigates if banks raise their capitalization levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis of previous research indicates that there is no unambiguous answer to the question of whether IBs perform differently than CBs under different competitive conditions. To fill this gap, this study examines the influence of capital regulation and market competition (both individually and interactively) on bank risk-taking behavior using a large sample of banking institutions in 18 MENA countries over 14 years (2005–2018). For the first time in this line of research, this study shows that the level of market power is positively associated with the level of a bank’ insolvency risk. In others words, IBs operating in highly competitive markets are more inclined to take a higher risk than their conventional peers. Regarding the IBs credit risk behavior, this study finds that market power has a limited impact on the relationship between CAR and risk level. This means that IBs are still applying in their operations the theoretical models based on the prohibition of interest.

The purpose of this study is to argues for theory development in Islamic marketing and attempts to lay the ground work by drawing on other social sciences.

This paper is based on a critical review of the literature for insights that advance Islamic marketing.

The study suggests that scholars in the area of Islamic marketing should start working towards the development of a theory of Islamic marketing. While this theory will draw on the unique engagement of Muslims with non-Muslims, it will offer an opportunity to explain and predict the world around us.

This is purely a theoretical piece that is aimed at knowledge development in the field, and, as such, it does not give much guidance to the practitioner, instead in invites other academics to draw on the world around us as they engage in their scholarly activities towards theory building.

The study gives directions for areas of possible future research in Islamic marketing.

Broadening the research efforts in Islamic marketing as advocated in this paper does have several important social implications.

This study is rare in terms of the issues it raises.