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We empirically investigate the determinants of sukuk issuance type in Indonesia to issue either ijarah sukuk or mudharabah sukuk. We include sukuk characteristics, sharia-related factors, and firm characteristics, provide empirical evidence on the determinants of sukuk issuance type by incorporating sukuk-specific factors, firm-specific factors, and sharia compliance variables, and address the role of Sharia Supervisory Board, as the sharia representative of firm compliance for sharia products, in the issuer’s choice of sukuk type. By studying 88 sukuk issuance in Indonesia from 2009 to 2017, we find that firm profitability and the sharia compliance level have a significant effect on the probability of issuing mudharabah sukuk. Some other factors’ characteristics including sukuk yield, firm age, and inflation rate are also found to have a significant effect.

Despite the growing prevalence of Sukuk issuances, there remains a significant knowledge gap concerning their specific risk exposures to originators of issuances rather than to investors, particularly compared to conventional bonds, and the implications of this for the corporate governance (CG) of originators. This study aims to examine the risks faced by originators and sponsors of Sukuk issuances, drawing insights from unique Sukuk case studies. The distinct characteristics of Sukuk include legal intricacies and Shari’ah compliance, which pose particular challenges to originators. Effective risk management is a key issue for CG in these areas.

A sequential explanatory case study method is employed, utilising the content analysis approach to extract information from various articles, reports and Sukuk case studies, including Tamweel Residential Mortgage Backed Sukuk and Tamweel Sukuk Limited.

The findings underscore the critical issues for originators in navigating risks within Sukuk structures, particularly concerning Shari’ah non-compliance and default risk. This highlights the importance of managing risks inherent in Sukuk structures, considering both Shari’ah compliance obligations and the sustainability of Sukuk in terms of default risk. Default scenarios raise unique questions regarding stakeholders' interests, specifically those of shareholders, investors and creditors, contingent on the Sukuk issuance's structure and contractual basis of the Sukuk issuance.

The need for a CG framework conducive to the effective management of these risks, thereby ensuring both Shari’ah compliance and long-term viability, which is crucial for the sustainable growth of Sukuk in the financial landscape.

This study offers a unique perspective by focusing on the risks faced by originators of Sukuk issuances, a largely unexplored area, and underscores the importance of effective risk management for CG and sustainability of Sukuk issuances.

Islamic endowment (awqaf), particularly awqaf land, is one of the potential Islamic social assets to serve the public interest, particularly to provide public infrastructures such as business centers, public hospitals and airports. However, unfortunately, most of them are still unproductive lands, especially in the form of idle lands. One problem to use such unproductive awqaf lands is the lack of awqaf land model as the platform to use such awqaf lands. This paper aims to construct and propose a model called Sukuk-linked Awqaf (SLA) to use awqaf lands as an underlying for Sukuk issuance.

This paper constructs mechanisms and formulas of SLA by involving Sukuk issuer, awqaf management (Nadzhir), Sukuk investors and tenants of the infrastructure. In particular, the SLA model is proposed based on the unique characteristics of both awqaf asset and Ijarah (leasing) Sukuk, considers the intention of state-owned enterprise (SOE) to construct buildings to be rented to the tenant and to be owned by the awqaf manager and formulates equations and uses net present value theory to determine Nadzhir and Sukuk investors’ investment decisions.

Engaging awqaf land with SLA model can ease its benefit for the society. The model addresses the strategic roles of Nadzhir, SOE, investors and contractor in using awqaf land.

The SLA model could ease related parties to use the awqaf land for the sake of public benefits.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first assessment on the potential implementation of Islamic hedging with a commodity as an alternative hedging in Indonesia.

SRI Sukuk, with its outcome-based emphasis, aims to align the Islamic finance industry with its original ideals and address criticisms related to form over substance. In Malaysia, while the pioneering Sukuk Ihsan was a “social” sukuk, recent SRI Sukuk issuances have predominantly been “green” or “sustainable” sukuk. This paper aims to evaluate the Malaysian SRI Sukuk market, identifying factors favouring “green” sukuk. It also examines whether structural issues in Sukuk Ihsan deterred subsequent issuers from “social” sukuk. The emergence of SRI Sukuk responds to sustainable development goals and the shift towards a low-carbon economy. Sukuk Ihsan, as the first Shariah-compliant pay-for-success structure, poses complexity and risk management challenges to meet performance criteria.

The study used a qualitative method in the form of a critical review of literature, interview sessions with experts and stakeholders who are familiar with SRI Sukuk and Sukuk Ihsan and a case study analysis of Sukuk Ihsan.

The popularity of “green” sukuk reflects the growing global environmental consciousness. The main factors driving the popularity of “green” sukuk are the maturity of the market and the existence of a strong supporting infrastructure for “green” issuances while the positive profiling benefits and availability of incentives for “green” issuances also contribute to a lesser extent. The recommendations include the promotion of “social” sukuk by regulators through a focus on establishing a similar supporting infrastructure for “social” sukuk as there are for SRI and standard Sukuk. In addition, issuers of “social” sukuk may want to reconsider the inclusion of key performance indicators (“KPI”) into the structure of future “social” sukuk issuances.

Although all respondents considered Sukuk Ihsan to be a success, some potential areas of improvement were also noted. These include the structuring of future “social” sukuk issuances with a bigger discount to compensate for the additional risk being assumed by the investor; the need to be more careful in the KPI selection process; and one respondent even went so far as to suggest the possibility of totally removing the step-down feature of Sukuk Ihsan.

Industry implications of Sukuk Ihsan study include findings that require balancing disclosure and economics by providing additional disclosure requirements for SRI Sukuk that may pose risks without corresponding benefits for issuers. KPI selection and investor confidence should also be properly identified, as KPIs are essential for the pay-for-success model to work successfully. For sukuk holders, findings indicate that any approval for waivers during issuance can impact investor confidence negatively. Investor literacy and impact understanding should also be improved for social Sukuk success. Investors should understand the different risk exposures and evolving impact requirements vital for sustainable growth.

The findings provide significant implications for social impact Sukuk issuance. They include providing a substantial case study for future social impact issuances, based on the pioneering impact of Sukuk Ihsan. Furthermore, Sukuk Ihsan’s unqualified success validates the feasibility of socially responsible sukuk. Despite its early introduction, both tranches being fully subscribed reflects robust investor interest. Stakeholders were also proud of their involvement in such an initiative, viewing it as a significant achievement in creating societal impact.

Although there have been several prior studies done on Sukuk Ihsan, the focus of those studies was on its structure and the novelty of its “step down” returns structure where investors would receive lower returns if certain key performance indicators (“KPIs”) are met by Yayasan AMIR in the execution of its Trust School Programme. Bearing in mind that the first Sukuk Ihsan has a June 2022 maturity date, and the results of its KPIs were announced in December 2021, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only documented case study that comprehensively reviews Sukuk Ihsan and identifies lessons learned and/or opportunities for improvement for the benefit of potential SRI Sukuk issuers in the future.

This study aims to find whether sukuk (Islamic bonds) possess a safe haven property for investors or not.

To analyze this statement, the study used data from MSCI World conventional and MSCI World Islamic indices from August 17, 2012 to June 8, 2022. The study used the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) variance technique, the most common technique used in stock data analysis.

The results dictate the absence of sukuk as a safe haven for investors as both the conventional and Islamic markets show decoupling behavior. The study finds concrete evidence of a strong association between the debt-based bond market and the Islamic sukuk market. As these markets mostly like to move in a parallel direction, a recession in a conventional bond market likely means a recession in the Islamic sukuk market.

This study is unique in incorporating the MSCI World Islamic Index and other Islamic indices of several Muslim countries, which was absent in previous research. Second, this study is unique because it adds a separate regression for the COVID era to show whether the movement of indices changed during regression.

This study aims to analyze three major defaults on Sukuk since 2007. These case studies make clear that, in most cases, the problems can be traced back to clauses and structures that made the Sukuk more like conventional bonds. The case studies highlighted the importance of the legal institutions of the country where ownership rights are likely to be contested. Strict adherence to Shariah (Islamic Jurisprudence) principles would have considerably simplified restructuring because Shariah compliance implies a clear allocation of property rights: in Sukuk, investors will receive full title to the underlying Sukuk assets in distress situations.

The study follows a qualitative research method base on detailed case studies of the Sukuk defaults occurred in the aftermath of financial crises 2007. The focus in this paper is on the resolution process following default, not on the reasons why the default was triggered to begin with. The authors analyze the Sukuk defaults from an Islamic finance perspective. Specifically, after providing basic information on each Sukuk (issuer, arranger, SPV, term period, rate of return, etc.), the authors present an exposition of the underlying contracts of each Sukuk, their structure, reasons for defaults and restructuring process thereafter. Finally, the authors provide a discussion on the critical issues related to Sukuk structures, namely, ownership of underlying Sukuk assets, rights of the investors including recourse, if any, to core assets in case of distress, risk factors including legal and Shariah risks regarding Sukuk structures, purchase undertakings and credit enhancements.

The case studies highlighted the importance of the legal institutions of the country where ownership rights are likely to be contested. Interestingly enough, strict adherence to Shariah (Islamic Jurisprudence) principles would have considerably simplified restructuring because Shariah compliance implies a clear allocation of property rights: in Sukuk, investors will receive full title to the underlying Sukuk assets in distress situations. So, the answer to the question the authors asked, is Islamic Finance failing to deliver on its promises, is a qualified no.

The paper provides in depth analysis of the Sukuk defaults and provide the main reasons for that along with recommendations that compliance to Shariah principles of ownership and risk sharing would reduce incidence of defaults and facilitates restructuring.

This study aims to examine the impacts of global geopolitical risks (GPRs) and COVID-19 pandemic stringency on the size of Sukuk issuance in Malaysia.

To examine the issue, this paper collected yearly data for the Sukuk issuance from the DataStream, and the rest of the variables, including the control variables from the World Bank, were from 2018 to 2022. Several econometric approaches have been used, that is, ordinary least square (OLS), two-stage least squares (2SLS) and generalized method of moment (GMM) with fixed effects and random effects in examining the impacts.

The results demonstrate that global GPRs negatively impact the size of Sukuk issuance due to the investment risk during the high global geopolitical conflicts, war and rampant terrorism. Besides, the COVID-19 pandemic-related stringency also similarly affects the country's Sukuk issuance market because of the long-time lockdown measures, border closures, travel restrictions and low access to the market. The control variables also demonstrate similar results except for the gross domestic products, which shows positive and significant impacts on the Sukuk market of Malaysia.

The study's policy implications for Sukuk investors and issuers stress the importance of disclosing risk mitigation procedures, strengthening the regulatory framework and raising investor knowledge to attract and protect investors in the Sukuk sector.

This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by providing evidence for a “greenium” in the primary Sukuk market. The term “greenium” is defined in the study as the lower cost of capital or reduced yields that green Sukuk may offer compared to non-green Sukuk, reflecting investor willingness to accept lower returns for green investments. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate the potential role of “greenium” as an incentive for issuers to fund eco-friendly projects, contributing to a sustainable environment.

This study uses propensity score matching techniques to provide an accurate comparison of pricing differences between green and non-green Sukuk issued in global primary markets during the period 2017–2022.

The results reveal that green Sukuk signify a “greenium” effect. This suggests that investors find green Sukuk attractive, willing to accept lower returns. Given the positive investor response to green initiatives in the market, issuers can capitalize on the growing demand for green Sukuk, leading to low-cost funding.

This study makes an important contribution to the literature at the interface of Islamic finance and environmental sustainability. In particular, it stands out by focusing on the pricing dynamics in the green Sukuk market and highlights the potential benefits of issuing green Sukuk to help achieve sustainability goals while providing access to lower cost of capital for the transition to a low-carbon economy.

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.

This study aims to examine the effect of several factors on Muslims' intentions to invest in the Hajj fund Sukuk, Jordan. The study's hypothesis and model were derived from previous studies.

The present study was undertaken based on a self-administered questionnaire of 356 Jordanians who are Muslims and non-investors in Hajj Fund Sukuk. The sample was selected using a purposive sampling method. The data were analyzed using Smart-PLS version 4.

The results indicated that social influence, knowledge, religion and return on investment significantly affect the purchase intention of Jordanian Muslims to invest in Hajj Fund Sukuk.

There are some limitations to this study. First, the study was done in Jordan; thus, additional research might be conducted in other parts of the Islamic world to learn more about the perception of investing in Islamic Sukuk, particularly Hajj Sukuk. Second, while the present study used a quantitative research technique to achieve its purpose, it would be advantageous if the researchers used more qualitative techniques, such as interviews or focus groups, in the future to explore additional factors that may impact Muslims' intent to invest in Hajj Fund Sukuk.

The findings of the current study could help practitioners in the Islamic sukuk industry by identifying the key factors that encourage Muslims to invest in Hajj sukuk. They may use the results of this study in the formulation of marketing policies and the development of marketing strategies to persuade more investors to invest their money in these sukuk.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study carried out to better understand the main factors that may influence Muslims to invest in Hajj Sukuk in the Jordanian context. Hence, this study contributes to increasing the body of knowledge in the area of Islamic marketing in general and in the field of Islamic sukuk investment specifically.