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This study aims to explain the Sukuk structures individually by highlighting the key differences and commonalities in their influential aspects. It also compares the core aspects of Sukuk literature with conventional bonds and suggests the point of differences between them.

This study uses a quali-quantitative approach with the help of segmented bibliometric analysis to describe core differences and commonalities in various Sukuk structures in terms of core authors, countries, sources, affiliation, documents and keywords. In addition, it deploys “biblioshiny” from R-package “bibliometrix 3.0” to identify key influential aspects of different Sukuk instruments.

Results reported that Malaysia is the core contributing country in Sukuk publications and the center of author correspondence. There is a structural difference among various Sukuk instruments. The significant literature commonalities in Ijarah, Mudarabah, Musharakah and Murabahah Sukuk affiliations and globally cited journal articles are also found. However, the influential aspects of Sukuk compared with conventional bonds are different from other Sukuk literature. It also conducted a keyword analysis to report significant themes in the literature.

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge as it helps investors to understand the shariah permissibility and investment supremacy of various Sukuk alternatives. Investors, policymakers, scholars and researchers should understand the dynamics of multiple Sukuk structures and their Shari’ah permissibility. This study significantly elaborates on this objective.

This paper aims to reviews Sukuk risk classification schemes based on extending and adapting the risk classification schemes of conventional finance. It is then argued that risk classification schemes based on Sukuk structure provide significant insights into Sukuk risk not obtainable from conventional schemes. This is because Sukuk structure risk classification schemes link Sukuk risk more directly to the fundamental causal factors creating those risks. These links are less evident in conventional risk classification schemes. It is hypothesised that Sukuk structure risk factors will prove to be highly significant in multifactor expected return regressions.

The paper argues that, given the paucity of the empirical data currently available to researchers in Islamic finance, greater care needs to be taken in hypothesis development than is necessary for conventional finance. The limited data available should be used for testing hypotheses and not “wasted” in hypothesis formation. Through a meta-analysis of the existing literature on Sukuk risk, it is hypothesised that Sukuk structure risks will be highly significant in explaining Sukuk returns and returns volatilities in empirical tests.

The main Sukuk structures, debt based, equity based, assets based, agency based and hybrid structures, arise directly from the requirement of Sukuk to conform to the Shariah and to the fundamental ethical principles of Islamic finance and business. Further, Sukuk risk profiles are directly related to Sukuk structures. Thus, Sukuk structure risks are essentially Shariah risks. The paper presents a Sukuk risk classification matrix based on an evaluation of Sukuk structure risks.

The findings on the relation of Sukuk risks to Sukuk structures require corroboration by rigorous empirical tests.

The paper contributes to work on the creation of evidence-based risk management techniques in Islamic finance and to the expansion of ethical financial management.

The paper is one of the early detailed academic studies on the evaluation of risks arising from Sukuk structures.

This paper identified the ṣukūk structure suitable for deficit financing during the COVID-19 crisis. The study also explored the relevant Sharīʿah contracts that could be utilized to issue ṣukūk that is suitable for various jurisdictions and corporations in handling deficit financing during the COVID-19 crisis.

The authors have adopted a qualitative research approach in which primary and secondary sources available on the subject were reviewed, especially a number of cases related to ṣukūk structures prior to and during the COVID-19 crisis and analyzed their performances and drawn their conclusions.

The outcome of this paper suggests that certain ṣukūk structures used during the COVID-19 crisis aimed primarily at financing deficit have been successful. Furthermore, these ṣukūk structures are relied very much on the obligator’s/issuer’s cash flow position. It has been revealed that if the ṣukūk is structured on equity-based contracts with lower repayment amount or no payment, it would not trigger default because the nature of this ṣukūk is the sharing of profit and loss, in accordance with a Sharīʿah rule that there will be compensation for any loss only if deliberate and notable negligence is proven. However, if it is debt based or ijarah and wakalah contracts, then the payment to ṣukūk holders ought to be made as agreed and if not, it will trigger default. This payment is to be made from the cash flow of the issuer and if there is an issue in the cash flow of the issuer due to COVID-19, consent from the ṣukūk holders needs to be obtained to reschedule payment as found in the case of the Garuda Indonesia ṣukūk. However, as found in MASB’s IMTN ṣukūk case, if the cash flow of the company is good, then the chances of default are very slim. However, so far, three new ṣukūk in the middle of COVID-19 were issued, one by a corporation and two issued by a sovereign, one of which addresses the liquidity issues during the pandemic, and all these proved that ṣukūk is definitely a viable alternative mode for deficit financing and a reliable option during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper looked into the ṣukūk structure, especially the ṣukūk which are yet to mature and the new ṣukūk issued during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is anticipated that the outcome of this research will assist the stakeholders in ṣukūk markets to understand the ṣukūk impact on COVID-19 related deficit financing and suggest various structures that could be utilized in the ṣukūk market in an unprecedented situation such as the COVID-19 economic distress.

Looking at the social aspect of ṣukūk markets, this paper has endeavored to provide solutions to the financing of deficit for social well-being as a tool to provide relief and social stability in the lives of the people.

The novel COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented economic difficulties and market distress on a global scale; and this research sought to identify the relevant ṣukūk structures to be used for deficit financing during the pandemic crisis, especially the ṣukūk which are yet to mature and new ṣukūk issued during the pandemic crisis. The former includes HDFC Muḍārabah ṣukūk (2019) Maldives and MAHB ṣukūk/IMTN program (2010) Malaysia, while the latter includes IsDB Trust Certificates, Phase 2 of the tranches (2020), the Federal Government of Nigeria Road ṣukūk (May, 2020) and Sharj’ah Government two billion Dirham ṣukūk (June, 2020).

This paper aims to investigate the influence of the determinants (pricing, type of structure, Shariah auditing, Shariah risk and Shariah documentation) and the sukuk legitimacy among Islamic financial institutions using a qualitative approach. The paper further explained the significance of the determinants on legitimacy, evaluated the relationship between sukuk characteristics and sukuk legitimacy and examined the moderating effect of Shariah Supervisory Board (SSB) on the relationship.

The study used a purposive sampling technique to select the target respondents required for the survey (semi-structured interview). This technique is applied by selecting members of SSBs among Islamic financial institutions. A total number of ten members are selected as the sample size for the study based on their experience and basic knowledge of Fiqh Al-Mua’malat and its application in Islamic financial institutions.

The findings revealed that the determinants have a significant impact on the sukuk legitimacy, meaning that there is a positive and significant relationship between the determinants and the sukuk legitimacy. In addition, this study indicates the empirical evidence of the moderating effect of SSB on the relationship between the determinants and the sukuk legitimacy.

This study has added to the literature by examining the determinants of sukuk legitimacy while evaluating the moderating effect of SSB on the relationship. Besides, this might add benefits to the numerous Islamic financial institutions relating to the amendment of its regulatory frameworks with the view to pushing the sukuk market investors to move toward asset-backed structure. In addition, the SSB in central banks must also focus its attention regarding the sukuk legitimacy and its application among the various Islamic financial institutions.

This study has added a new discussion to the body of knowledge, i.e. examining the sukuk legitimacy and its relationship with sukuk determinants; hence, an approach that is not widely discussed in the previous studies. Furthermore, conducting such research in the field of Islamic finance provides novelty in the literature among both emerging and developed economies including Malaysia. This is because to the best knowledge of the researchers, there was no empirical study (within the literature) that combined these variables and evaluated their empirical significance. Accordingly, this would enlighten the Islamic Ummah and propel the society’s intensity toward contributing to knowledge and might further provide clarification on the determinants and the sukuk legitimacy to prospective scholars, precisely on the moderating effect of SSB on the relationship between determinants and legitimacy of sukuk.

I study the determinants of conventional leverage in a sample of publicly listed corporations based in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, for a period spanning from 2005 up to end of 2014, and investigate whether those determinants can also explain the utilization of Sukuk by the same corporations in their capital structures. Evidence related to the determinants of conventional leverage is consistent with results from prior studies conducted on corporations based in developed and developing countries. Firm’s size, profitability, tangibility, age, and tendency to pay dividends are significant determinants of conventional leverage. However, not all those factors significantly explain the utilization of Sukuk as a financing vehicle. The size of the firm remains to be the most significant factor, in addition to the conformance of those corporations with respect to Shari’a principles measured by their utilization of other Islamic investments and financing instruments. Overall, I conclude that models used to predict conventional leverage are not capable of fully explaining the determinants of Sukuk issuances.

Sukuk restructuring primarily aims at offering a debtor more latitude, in form and time, to settle his obligations. To meet Shari’ah requirements of transferring assets to Sukuk holders in asset-based Sukuk, the originator usually transfers the beneficial ownership to the issuer special purpose vehicles (SPV). However, in asset-backed Sukuk, the originator sells the underlying asset to an SPV and Sukuk holders do not have recourse to the originator in the event of defaults. Among some key unresolved Shari’ah issues in this regard is whether a change of contract necessitates entering a new contract. Other related issues that conflict with the tenets of Shari’ah are: (1) Sukuk structuring on tangible assets and debts; (2) receiving the full title by the Sukuk holders to the underlying assets in the event of default in case of securities that are publicized as asset backed; (3) Sukuk’s similarity with interest bearing conventional bonds: (a) capital guarantee by the originator or third party, (b) the originators’ promise to repurchase Sukuk at face value upon their redemption, and (c) providing internal and external credit enhancement. The Shari’ah-compliance of the above-mentioned clauses and structures of Sukuk remain debated among the Shari’ah scholars. Based on some specific cases, this study examines the Shari’ah viewpoint on sukuk restructuring and potential solutions to these unresolved Shari’ah issues in light of the past and recent declaration of some Sukuk defaults as non-Shari’ah complaints. Undoubtedly, resolution of these and other unresolved issues pertaining to Sukuk defaults can help strengthen the confidence of investors in Islamic capital market structures.

The key purpose of this study is to make awareness for faithful Muslims who are interested to invest in Islamic capital markets so as to enable them making right decision while considering investment in Sukuk over conventional interest-bearing bonds.

This study reviews past literature to analyse contemporary Sukuk risks and discusses several mechanisms to mitigate those risks.

The study shows that Sukuk can be good alternatives to conventional bonds. Sukuk structures need to be further developed to fulfil the Sharīʿah compliance requirements.

This study is exploratory in nature, and as such, it seeks to identify the risks related to Sukuk issuance. Given this limitation, it did not provide empirical evidences relating to any specific category of Sukuk risks.

An in-depth knowledge of Sukuk risks would help both academicians and investors understand the potential problems related to Sukuk structures and take precautions in the early stage to prevent causes of being defaulted or bankrupt.

The risks related to Sukuk have been explored in all potential roots. This study has offered some significant techniques to prevent the relevant risks for investors’ benefits. Information being provided throughout this study is expected to serve potential investors in Sukuk as a guide to make right decisions and enable them to minimise the risk to secure healthy returns on their investments.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight of Islamic securitization based on sukuk structures.

Descriptive, analytical, and comparative analyses are used to discuss the risk‐sharing behaviour in Islamic securitization through different structures of mudharabah and musharakah sukuk derived from asset securitization.

The paper reveals that although sukuk are structured in a similar way to conventional asset‐backed securities, they can have significantly different underlying structures, provisions and shariah‐compliant. In particular, it prohibits the receipt and payment of interest and stipulates that income must be derived from an underlying real business risk rather than as a guaranteed return from interest. With regards to sukuk securitization, an asset is one of the vital elements that should exist as an evidence to support the process and make it permissible in Islam. In terms of Islamic securitization mechanism, it can be divided into two principles, namely, debt based and partnership. This paper further emphasizes that sukuk structures based on partnership principle is regarded as risk sharing rather than risk shifting, where it works by combining risk‐exposures in such a way that they offset one another to some degree. Accordingly, overall risk will be less than total risks on individual basis.

This paper has important implication for the understanding of risk management practices particularly in structuring sukuk. Banks as originators and special purpose vehicles (SPV) as issuers, might consider more sukuk on partnership principles since it directed towards risk‐sharing concept that could lead to increase mobilization of savings and investment. As for the investors or sukuk holders, the partnership principle could generate the wealth creation, which to be shared between both investors (fund providers) and issuers (fund users), while both bear the risks involved and the resulting loss.

The paper will fill the gap in the existing literature of Islamic finance by showing that Islamic securitization via sukuk is a viable source of funds that could help stabilize the securities market, and as solution to the current subprime mortgages financial crisis.

This study aims to examine the determinants of Sukuk credit ratings of issuing firms in Malaysia, and the rating changes from lower to higher rating and vice versa.

A total of 328 Sukuk issuances and 1,110 Sukuk rating announcements from 2009 to 2014 were analysed using generalized ordered logit regressions approach. Firm financial characteristics, corporate governance attributes, macroeconomic factors and Sukuk structures (debt or equity based) were among the important determinants used to explain the different Sukuk credit ratings.

The results indicate a positive association of Sukuk credit rating with issuing firm’s financial information, governance attributes and the Sukuk structure whilst the macroeconomic factors did not explain the changes in the Sukuk credit rating. Specifically, firm size, profitability and leverage characteristics had significant positive effect on Sukuk credit rating for listed firms whilst only firm’s profitability had a positive effect on Sukuk credit rating by unlisted firms. With regard to governance, the board structure which includes board size, board independence and CEO/Chairman non-duality is associated with positive Sukuk credit rating for listed firms. Only financial report audited by big four auditors is associated with positive Sukuk credit rating for unlisted firms. Equity-based Sukuk are associated with positive Sukuk credit rating for listed firms while for unlisted firms only the Ijarah Sukuk had a positive Sukuk credit rating.

Data on credit rating is scarce and had to be hand-collected from published reports. Furthermore, issues on the lack of standardisation of Islamic contracts in different geographical areas could constrain on the comparability of findings on determinants of ratings in different jurisdictions.

The findings provide some guide to the rating agencies to objectively assess the issuer’s creditworthiness that could mitigate default risk. Mitigating the default risk will boost investors’ confidence and credibility of credit rating agencies.

This study examines the determinants of Sukuk credit rating of issuing firms in Malaysia, which include not only the listed firms but also the unlisted firms.

This study aims to investigate the extent of Shariah compliance in wakalah sukuk and Shariah non-compliant risk disclosure in the sukuk documents and to analyse the risk management techniques associated with the disclosed risks.

This study uses qualitative document analysis as both data collection and analysis methods. The document analysis acts as a data collection method for 23 wakalah sukuk documents selected from 32 issuances of wakalah sukuk from 2017 to 2021. These sukuk documents were selected based on their availability from relevant websites. Document analysis, both content analysis and thematic analysis, were used to analyse the data. Codes were grounded from that data through keywords search of Shariah noncompliant risk and its risk management. Besides these, interviews were also conducted with four active industry players, i.e. two legal advisors of wakalah sukuk, a wakalah sukuk trustee and a sukuk institutional issuer. These interview data were analysed based on categorical themes, on the aspects of the extent of Shariah compliance in sukuk, and the participant’s views on the risk management techniques associated with the risks or used in the sukuk documents.

Overall, the findings reveal three types of Shariah non-compliant risks disclosed in the sukuk documents and seven risk management techniques associated with them. However, the disclosure and the risk management techniques can be considered minimal in contrast to the extent of Shariah compliance in a sukuk, i.e. Shariah compliance at the pre-issuance stage, ongoing stage and post-issuance stage. On top of these, it was also found from the interviews that not all risk management techniques are workable to manage Shariah non-compliant risk in sukuk. As a result, these findings suggest rigorous reviews of the existing Shariah non-compliance risk (SNCR) disclosures and risk management techniques by the relevant parties.

Sukuk documents used in the study are limited to corporate wakalah sukuk issued in Malaysia. Out of 32 issuances from 2015 to 2021, only 23 documents are available in relevant website. Thus, Shariah non-compliant risk disclosure and its risk management techniques analysed in this study are only limited in those documents.

The findings of this study suggest rigorous reviews on the existing Shariah non-compliance disclosures and risk management techniques. Other than these, future research in relation to uncommon risk management clauses, i.e. assurance, Shariah waiver and transfer of risk, are needed.

The insights presented in the analysis are of importance to sukuk issuers and the sukuk due diligence working group in enhancing the sukuk Shariah compliance and Shariah non-compliant risks disclosure and towards sukuk investors, in capturing and assessing Shariah non-compliant risks in a sukuk and to assist them to make informed investment decisions. More importantly, this study has found few areas of future study in relation to SNCR disclosures and SNCR risk management techniques.