Analyzing the Role of Islamic Finance in Kuwait Regarding Sustainable Economic Development in COVID-19 Era

The aim of the present study was first to consider the impact of COVID-19 on Kuwait’s economy. Second, it attempted to examine the role of Islamic banking and finance in achieving socioeconomic justice and attaining best practices by securing social goods. Hence, the research assessed how Islamic banking and finance can help in reconstructing the economy based on Maqasid Al-Shari’ah (higher ethical objectives) to redevelop social, economic, and environmental welfare, especially in the COVID-19 era. A theoretical approach was adopted, namely, the grounded theory method (GTM), to explore COVID-19 related solutions for achieving sustainable economic development. The findings show that Islamic banking and finance can be employed to mitigate the impact of coronavirus and can be used as an alternative financial system to support both affected people and entrepreneurs. The paper expands on previous literature discussing the role of Islamic finance in management strategies through Islamic ethical objectives, with a particular focus on Kuwait’s post-COVID-19 era. This research can help policymakers to develop mechanisms and supporting approaches for Kuwait’s economy.

Moratorium in Islamic Hire Purchase Financing: A Shariah Perspective

This study examined the implementation of moratorium in the Islamic hire purchase financing based on Al-Ijarah Thumma Al-Bay’ (AITAB) from the Shariah perspective. The implementation of moratorium by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is a new practice in the banking and finance industry in Malaysia. Implementing the moratorium causes several changes to the AITAB contract such as the extension in contract tenure and the increase in the total payment obligation due to the profit charged on the outstanding principal. This study analysed these changes from the Shariah perspective by using the al-takyif al-fiqhi methodology. The results of the analysis confirm the practice of moratorium by IFIs is in line with the Shariah requirements as long as it is agreed by the parties to the contract - which are the bank and the customer. Needless to say, both Ijarah Policy Document and Hire Purchase Act 1967 allow any forms of amendments including profit compounding when the AITAB contract is restructured, provided that such amendments are agreed between the contracting parties. Despite this permissibility, IFIs are still required to comply with the new ruling issued by SAC BNM that prohibits the practice of profit compounding during the COVID-19 crisis. Although, in principle, the ruling is based on the concept of ihsan (beneficence) which is not compulsory (wajib) but rather recommendation (istihbab) from the Shariah perspective; however, from the regulatory perspective the ruling is compulsory for IFIs to comply pursuant to section 28(1) and 28(2) of Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA) that stated compliance with Shariah means compliance with any ruling of the Shariah Advisory Council. The moratorium is seen as a manifestation of the concept of ihsan (beneficence) towards the customers affected financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This commendable effort should be encouraged and continued by the Islamic financial institutions in upholding the Shariah principle of maslahah and lifting of difficulties (raf al-haraj), particularly in the current outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact of MCO.

Banking and Finance in South Africa

The importance of the financial sector is widely recognized by the public––who use and benefit from the products and services of the different financial industries––bank loans, insurance products, investments, and the payments system (to name a few). This chapter describes the different financial intermediaries, financial auxiliaries, and financial market infrastructure that comprise the sophisticated South African financial sector. Emphasis is placed on the banks whose liabilities (deposits) are uniquely the means of payment (money) and whose assets are loans to businesses, households, and the government. The role of banks is straightforward, but their basic fragility and risks they face in an uncertain world are complex. Failure of a major financial intermediary within the context of a deeply integrated system will have significant costs for the rest of the economy. For this reason, regulation tends to err on the side of caution, where stability is prioritized. This leads to a system where conservativism rules and profitability for the systemically important institutions is virtually assured. The chapter argues for greater awareness of the regulatory compromises given that the success of the sector is not costless to society.

Motives Behind the Transfer of a Bank From Conventional Banking to Islamic Banking in Pakistan

The increasing awareness on Islamic banking and finance has created a huge demand for Shari’a based or Shari’a compliant products. Banks, especially are trying to capture this huge market by either converting themselves into a full fledge Islamic banks or opening a window for the Islamic based transactions. This study highlights the reasons why traditional banks turned towards Islamic model. The phenomenon of traditional banks turning into Islamic form was reinforced by the success of these banks averting the recent world economic crises. For data collection 80 respondents were selected, a proxy of five variables were undertaken as measurement. Variables of the study were:Transfer to Islamic Banking(TIB) was taken as dependent variable whileShari’a compliance(SC), Risk and Return(RR), Customer need(CN) and Performance of Islamic banks(PI) were taken as independent variables for which adopted questionnairewas used for data collection. The result of this research is that the banks are transferring from conventional banking to Islamic banking is just because of Shari’a Compliance, performance of Islamic banks and customer need for Islamic product.