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The perception of Islamic finance by its various stakeholders is not always reconcilable. Its foundations and attributes are subject to a plurality of perceptions making it almost impossible to reach a consensus about them. This paper aims to understand the perception of Islamic finance by bank employees in Cameroon.

This research follows the interpretativist paradigm and is qualitative and exploratory in nature. The data are collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with bank employees, mainly branch managers. These interview data are analysed using the thematic analysis method.

Bank employees in Cameroon perceive Islamic finance as a finance that: targets everyone, regardless of religion, but Muslims first (Islamic finance is both inclusive and exclusive); offers original products and services; has a religious anchor that may hinder non-Muslim economic agents; has many advantages, mainly for financial institutions, and some limitations for financial institutions and their customers; is full of opportunities for its stakeholders; and is not yet fully practiced in Cameroon.

This study mobilises a qualitative approach, provides new insights into the research on the perception of Islamic finance and reaches a consensus on the perception of certain aspects and attributes of Islamic finance, namely, for the perception of the target and the Shariah compliance of Islamic finance. Furthermore, this study is a pioneering effort to understand bank employees’ perception of Islamic finance in non-Islamic and developing countries where Islamic finance is underdeveloped.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The relationship between ethnicity, religion and entrepreneurship is an emerging field, and an extremely important topic, considering the influence of these drivers on people’s lives and on entrepreneurs’ performance, in particular. This study aims to explore and contribute to a more robust understanding of this relationship.

The main trends were disclosed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and VOSviewer. The set of articles cover the annual period from 1973 to 2022. The coupling analysis founded links to produce a framework outlining an integrative state of the art intersecting ethnicity and religion and entrepreneurship spectrum study.

The analysis identified integrative relationships between the concepts of ethnicity, religion and entrepreneurship, which describe the direction of literature, resulting in five main categories.

This study offers a novel framework and in-depth understanding to delve into this interrelationship research agenda. Guided by the gaps in the literature, a set of outstanding avenues for future research are proposed.

This study aims to present a bibliometric analysis of Islamic social finance (ISF) by addressing gaps in the existing research, exploring the current trends of publications and determining possible future research directions in this field.

Relevant bibliometric data of published research during 1914–2022 was extracted from the Scopus database and 1,355 studies were considered for the analysis. Biblioshiny app from RStudio, VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel were the tools used for analysis.

The identified current research streams are management and distribution of ISF funds especially zakat through fintech; governance and accountability of ISF institutions; Islamic microfinance for poverty alleviation and financial inclusion; ISF for promoting sustainable development and achieving United Nations sustainable development goals; waqf endowments and cash waqf; and Islamic charities. The identified themes for future research directions are Islamic fintech, integration of ISF, sustainable development, economic recovery, social entrepreneurship, sustainable ISF ecosystem and supporting refugees.

It provides extensive and up-to-date literature on the current trends in ISF and future research themes which can be useful for researchers, professionals and policymakers in the field.

The findings of this research contribute to the solutions to socio-economic challenges and support sustainable development through ISF.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the first attempt to provide a pervasive bibliometric review on ISF by including various aspects of ISF and extending the study period to more than 100 years.

This paper aims to develop a novel approach to Islamic deposit insurance, specifically addressing the deficiencies in the current prevailing models of Islamic deposit insurance.

The analysis in this paper adopts a qualitative content analysis approach to review the existing literature on Islamic deposit insurance and propose a new model.

The proposed model includes a revised scheme. In the event of a bank failure, the funds used to reimburse depositors of the failed bank are divided into two distinct categories. The first category includes nonrepayable premiums that have been previously paid by the failed bank and managed by the Islamic deposit insurance agency or Islamic deposit insurance corporation. The second category comprises qard hasan, an interest-free loan provided by the Islamic deposit insurance agency or Islamic deposit insurance corporation using the deposit insurance funds from the collective pool of premiums of other banks.

The proposed model ensures that well-managed banks are not unfairly burdened by the failures of their poorly managed counterparts, thus preventing a sense of unfairness and inefficiency. Implementing the proposed model may result in higher business practices and risk management standards, ultimately leading to better depositors’ protection and banking system’s stability.

This paper offers a significant contribution to the limited literature on Islamic deposit insurance. The proposed model enriches the discourse and offers valuable insights for the future development of Islamic banking.

The aim of this paper has twofold: (1) to explain and compare the financial evolution of Islamic and conventional banking sector in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) to explore the key success factors that might affect Islamic and conventional banks performance before and mainly during COVID-19 pandemic period.

Orbis Bank Focus database and annual financial reports are used to collect financial information of Islamic and conventional banks in GCC countries over four years: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Descriptive statistics, T-test, multiple regression, and 2SLS and GMM models are employed to analyze the financial structure and performance of Islamic and conventional banks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Results of this study reveal that (1) there is a significant difference between Islamic banks and conventional banks during the crisis of COVID-19, where the conventional banks have presented a higher level of financial performance and financial liquidity than their Islamic counterparts, (2) conventional banks have revealed higher capacity to manage their financial risk during the crisis period, and (3) a high level of non-performing loan, high inflation rate and high percentage of non-important cost have a negative impact on the financial performance of Islamic banks mainly during the pandemic period of COVID-19. However, the result indicates that a high level of liquidity risk increased the performance of Islamic banks but this impact falls sharply during the pandemic period.

This study provides information that supports investors, regulators and executive managers in GCC countries. A well-structured balance sheet would improve the financial performance and risk management of the banking sector in GCC countries, especially in times of crisis and pandemics.

This study aims to review to what extent Islamic banks carry conventional monetary policy impulses. Hence, the authors focus to review on the presence or absence of an Islamic financing channel.

A systematic approach to the literature review was adopted. The search criterion is confined to empirical studies that examined the transmission of interest-based monetary policy through Islamic banks’ financing, particularly empirical studies that check the existence of an Islamic bank financing channel of conventional monetary policy. By adopting a systematic approach, over 40 empirical papers published in Scopus and Google Scholar were selected for review and analysis to suggest prospects for future analysis in this field.

The existence of Islamic banks may raise concerns for local central banks, particularly in terms of implementing monetary policies that rely on interest rates. Indeed, the specific nature of the business model of Islamic banks based on the sharing of losses and profits as an alternative to interest rate–based remuneration suggests a priori the non-transmission of monetary policy through these free-interest banks. Despite this, the actual asset structure of Islamic banks may facilitate the transmission of monetary impulses to the economy. Currently, there are limited and inconclusive empirical studies on how Islamic bank financing contributes to the transmission of monetary policy. Additional research is required to fully comprehend the response of Islamic banks to fluctuations in monetary policy interest rates, as well as the factors that impact their reactions.

This literature review is incredibly important as it thoroughly examines a critical issue from both academic and practical perspectives. Analyzing how monetary policy actions can be transmitted through Islamic bank financing is an important task that can provide insights for future research. A straightforward response to this inquiry could assist central banks in formulating effective monetary policy.

This study aims to map the digital risks for the Islamic finance industry. Since 2010, the financial space has largely shifted from being banking-centric to the entrepreneurship spectrum, benefiting from groundbreaking innovations in computer technology. The problem of Islamic Finance is that it is still within its banking-centric moment that is risk averse leading to financial exclusion. As with all innovations, there are associated risks that require careful consideration to ensure the reaping of the benefits of these technologies while controlling the risks at its lowest. In this context, the aim of this study is to highlight the risks associated with financial technologies (FinTech) to prepare the Islamic finance sector to serve the economic ideals of Maqāṣid al-Shariah in financial inclusion and profit and loss sharing. The main research question is as follows: What do Islamic Finance industry need to do to manage the digital risks for financial inclusion?

This study uses narrative review method in analysing the discourse of financial technology literature using qualitative data collected from the literature on the topic. It aimed to problematise associated digital risks from the Shariah compliance and Maqā¸ṣid al-Shariah critical viewpoints. Considering the nature of this conceptual study, it adopts a qualitative methodology by using discourse and thematic analysis of the literature that can lay the foundation for future empirical testing on the topic.

The study found that managing risks faced by the Islamic financial sector while adapting to the digital era can be divided into two main clusters: risk mitigation for Shariah-compliant FinTech and risk avoidance for Shariah non-compliant innovations. The high level of gharar associated with current practices in both cryptocurrencies and smart contracts needs additional regulation and simulation before they can be reconsidered for market-wide application. Cloud computing, crowdfunding and big data have promising applications that can address the limitations of the Islamic finance industry, particularly in terms of reducing transactional costs.

This conceptual article offers some insights into the subject; nevertheless, it does not attempt to establish causation or generalise the results. Additional statistical testing is required prior to generalising the results.

Due to the difficulties experienced since its inception, the Islamic financial industry is in urgent need of the cutting-edge solutions required to gain a competitive edge in the market and get over the limits that came with its late entry into the financial sector. Mapping digital risks is imperative for the development of comprehensive prudential risk management strategies for the Islamic finance industry that can fix its problems and enable it to deliver the more favourable Shariah-based solutions, rather than remaining in the lower bands of Shariah compliance.

Findings of the study lay the foundation for empirical testing the volatility of FinTech innovations for the Islamic finance industry to reduce uncertainties and generate reliable forecasts. Scholarship on managing digital risks for Islamic financial institutions is still developing due to the covid global lockdown and the looming recession, and this study will help enhance theorisation necessary that can aspire economic recovery after current challenges.

The displaced commercial risk is one of the specific risks in the Islamic finance that creates a serious debate among practitioners and researchers about its management. The purpose of this paper is to assess a new approach to manage this risk using machine learning algorithms.

To attempt this purpose, the authors use several machine learning algorithms applied to a set of financial data related to banks from different regions and consider the deposit variation intensity as an indicator.

Results show acceptable prediction accuracy. The model could be used to optimize the prudential reserves for banks and the incomes distributed to depositors.

However, the model uses several variables as proxies since data are not available for some specific indicators, such as the profit equalization reserves and the investment risk reserves.

Previous studies have analyzed the origin and impact of DCR. To the best of authors’ knowledge, none of them has provided an ex ante management tool for this risk. Furthermore, the authors suggest the use of a new approach based on machine learning algorithms.

The primary objective of this study aims to intensively explore the environment of Indonesian regulations and laws related to the Islamic banking system and micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) and unveil the restrictive laws and regulatory flaws that potentially hinder the Islamic banking institution and MSME industry in achieving financial inclusion and promoting sustainable growth.

This paper implements a qualitative method by implementing a multi-case study research strategy, both from the Islamic banking institutions and the MSME industries. The data were gathered primarily through an interview approach by adopting purposive uncontrolled quota sampling.

The findings of this paper reveal two essential issues: First, the regulatory imbalances and restrictions could demotivate and hinder the efforts of Islamic banks in providing access to finance for the MSME segment, hence, encumbering the achievement of the financial inclusion agenda from the Islamic banking industry. Second, the flaws in MSME registration and taxation might discourage the formal MSMEs from extending their business license and prevent the informal MSME units from registering their business. This issue would potentially lower their chance of accessing external financing from the formal financial institutions and participating in supportive government programmes due to the absence of proper legality.

Since this paper only observed six Islamic banks and 22 MSME units in urban and rural locations in Indonesia using a case study approach, the empirical findings and case discussions were limited to those respective Islamic banks and MSME participants.

By referring to the recommendations as presented in this paper, two critical policy implications could be expected from adopting the proposed recommendations, among others: By addressing the issues of the regulatory imbalance associated with the Islamic banking industry and introduce the deregulatory policies on profit and loss sharing (PLS) scheme implementation, this approach will motivate the Islamic banking industry in serving the MSME sector better and provide greater access to financial services, particularly in using the PLS financing schemes. By resolving the problems on MSME registration and taxation, this strategy will enhance the sustainability of the formal MSMEs’ operation and encourage the informal ones to register, hence, improving their inclusion into the formal financing services and government assistance programmes.

The present study attempts to address the literature shortcomings and helps to fill the gaps – both theoretical and empirical – by incorporating the multi-case study among Indonesian Islamic banks and MSMEs to extensively explore the Indonesia regulatory environment pertaining to the Islamic banking system (supply-side) and MSMEs (demand-side), and thoroughly investigates and reveals the restrictive laws and regulatory flaws that could potentially hinder the Islamic banking institutions and MSME industries in attaining financial inclusion and contributing to sustainable development.