In the present financial world, various niche markets play an increasingly important role. One of the fastest-growing niches is, without a doubt, Islamic finance. Indeed, sustainable finance needs constantly evolving innovations, and this book offers valuable insights into Islamic capital structure and Shari'ah equity screening enriching academic discourse. "In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of academics and professionals specializing in various aspects of Islamic finance as knowledge and practice. This has brought about a new dynamism and also further sophistication. This book is one of such contributions, as it develops knowledge which is then transformed into practice whereby practical impact is also achieved. Being an academic book, it provokes readers' thoughts, offering a critique of the implications of the currently applied Shari'ah screenings methodologies. As a transformative practical piece, by developing an innovative screening ratio, in this book, Dr. Yildirim extends his focus on the risk-sharing based financing hierarchy, covers thoughts and the underlying philosophy, and proposes an Islamic version of a pecking order hierarchy. This framework can be considered the foundation for developing an Islamic capital structure theory. This book will benefit academics, professionals, investors, as well as policymakers working in the Islamic finance industry and would like to explore more." (Professor Dr. Mehmet Asutay, Durham University Business School, UK) "This book offers, for the first time after the inception of Shari'ah screening methodologies, a groundbreaking new stock screening solution that is comprehensible, practical, and foremost entirely derived from the primary sources of Islam (Qur'an and Sunnah). Congratulations to Dr. Ramazan for his outstanding contribution to Islamic finance and capital markets." (Associate Professor Dr. Ahcene Lahsasna) "This excellent book is a must-have for all corporate finance students/researchers interested in the theoretical aspect of capital structure and the religious discussion of Shari'ah equity screening. This book should become a companion to those involved in a quantitative research environment and aim to conduct a comparative analysis; an ideal resource for everyone, from Shari'ah scholars to Islamic finance practitioners and beginners to experts." (Professor Dr. M. Kabir Hassan, University of New Orleans, USA)

The purpose of this book is to evaluate the debate on partnership, using original research data. Samuel provides a novel categorisation with which to synthesise and clarify a highly diverse literature on labour-management partnership, thus helping to refine the contemporary partnership debate. Secondly, he clarifies the circumstances under which effective labour-management partnership is possible, while simultaneously elaborating why the achievement of mutual gains is highly improbable in a liberal-market context. Thirdly, the book presents an integrated analysis of the interplay between macro-, meso- (industry) and micro-level factors. Fourthly, the research design enables the study to go beyond the case studies to make defendable empirical generalizations at the level of the industry. Finally, it advances a theoretical explanation of labour-management partnerships in liberal market economies by bridging two opposing neo-institutional positions in the social sciences.

This volume investigates African-American employment in banking and insurance in the United States. The authors describe how these once almost all-white industries are now employing large numbers of African-American and what problems remain to be solved before equal employment opportunity can be fully attained. Appendices tell the story of African-American-owned banking and insurance companies and their status today. Located in primarily urban areas, banks and insurance companies may soon be among the largest employers of African-Americans. The centralized personnel structure of banks gives them a significant advantage in employing African Americans, but the authors find that both banks and insurance companies have been slow to employ black managerial personnel. This study is based upon individual reports first published in the Racial Policies of American Industry series. A final chapter compares and contrasts the situations in banking and insurance, paying particular attention to the reasons for varying progress in the two industries. Founded in 1921 as a separate Wharton department, the Industrial Research Unit has a long record of publication and research in the labor market, productivity, union relations, and business report fields. Major Industrial Research Unit studies are published as research projects are completed. This volume is Study no. 47.

This book is about retirement income security. This income security is provided by national public pensions, corporate pensions, and individual and reverse mortgages. However, these systems vary greatly from country to country and, in many countries, do not provide sufficient coverage. Ensuring income security in old age is an important issue that must be resolved in the rapidly aging environment of the world. From the perspective of financial consumers, this book cross-sectionally surveys public pensions, corporate pensions, individual pensions and reverse mortgages and compares them among many important nations. This gives many implications from the perspective of designing an overall income security for each individual. In addition, it presents many of the issues needed for these sustainable and comprehensive income security.

Pricing of export credit is a challenge in the globalised world trade. Annual premia represent billions of euros or dollars and may determine competition. This book develops a rigorous new framework for pricing export credit products, e.g. buyer and supplier credit insurance and performance and working capital guarantees , based on well-known financial and actuarial theories. It introduces the products, the theories and the different data sources in order to apply the mathematical and financial ideas, e.g. discounting, risk-neutral valuation and Merton type defaults. It shows the differences of historical experience and implicit market pricing assumptions. The well-known OECD Arrangement is used as a benchmark for some part of the framework. Short code snippets in R are given in order to re-perform the results and have a basis to try own ideas. Many unprecedented exhibits give new insights into the subject matter. The book is targeted at practitioners and actuaries in the field with a good quantitative background.

The internet is dramatically transforming the way business is done, particularly for financial services. Digital Finance takes a thoughtful look at how the industry is evolving, and it explains how to integrate concepts of digital finance into existing traditional finance platforms. This book explores what successful companies are doing to maximize their opportunities in this context and offers suggestions on how to introduce digital finance into a firm's structure. Specific strategies for a digital future are presented, alongside numerous case studies that explore key attributes of success. In recognition of the rapidly evolving nature of finance today, Digital Finance is accompanied by a website maintained by the author (PerryBeaumont.com), as well as links to other content with insightful articles, analyses, and opinions. For both practitioners and students of finance, Digital Finance provides a rich context for a better understanding of the landscape of finance today, and lays the foundation for us to process and create the financial innovations of tomorrow.

This is the first book-length study of Islamic financial services in the United Kingdom. It describes the ways in which British examples of Islamic financial provision illustrate both the main characteristics of Islamic financial teaching and some key issues in the situation of British Muslims. Coverage of the subject is comprehensive: there are chapters on the history of Islamic finance in the UK and on personal accounts, home purchase finance, the equivalents of personal loans and insurance, investment, commercial funding and the relatively new bond-like instruments of sukuk. The author's approach is broadly sympathetic to the general spirit and aims of the Islamic financial tradition but critical of some of its manifestations in practice. The book is especially topical at present, following the crisis in the UK banking industry and the unprecedented level of public debate about the appropriate aims and techniques of the financial markets. Some commentators have recently expressed disappointment that Islamic finance in the UK has failed to live up to the high expectations surrounding it. This book attempts to give a balanced account of the sector's strengths and weaknesses.

Giving IT professionals in financial services firms a rounded and comprehensive grounding in their knowledge of their industry, this book offers a primer on the major financial instruments, transactions, and processes, as well as a sound knowledge of the principles of good IT management in the industry.

The book gives readers a clear understanding of equities, bonds, currencies, listed derivatives and OTC derivatives. It explains transactions in those instruments and the requirements of business systems that process these transactions. Transactions covered include (inter-alia) agency and principal purchases and sales, loans and deposits, repos and reverse repos, stock loans; and also the Sharia-compliant 'Islamic' transactions that may be used as alternatives to interest bearing transactions.

Andrew Bradford gives an introduction to how investment firms are regulated; offers an understanding of the STP (Straight-through-Processing) concept following the trade cycle for the transactions from order through to execution through pre-settlement to final settlement; covers basic accounting procedures for the transactions; and conveys the basic principles of good IT management in the investment industry.

The Nine Years' War with France was a period of great institutional innovation in public finance and of severe monetary turmoil for England. It saw the creation of the Bank of England; a sudden sharp fall in the external value of the pound; a massive undertaking to melt down and recoin most of the nation's silver currency; a failed attempt to create a National Land Bank as a competitor to the Bank of England; and the ensuing outbreak of a sharp monetary and financial crisis. Histories of this period usually divide these events into two main topics, treated in isolation from one another: the recoinage debate and ensuing monetary crisis and a 'battle of the banks'. The first is often interpreted as the pyrrhic victory of a creditor-dominated parliament over the nation's debtors, one that led very predictably to the ensuing monetary crisis. The second has been construed as a contest between whig-merchant and tory-gentry visions of the proper place of banking in England's future. This book binds the two strands into a single narrative, resulting in a very different interpretation of both. Parliamentary debate over the recoinage was superficial and misleading; beneath the surface, it was just another front for the battle of the banks. And the latter had little to do with competing philosophies of economic development; it was rather a pragmatic struggle for profit and power, involving interlocking contests between two groups of financiers and two sets of politicians within the royal administration. The monetary crisis of summer 1696 was not the result of poor planning by the Treasury; rather it was a continuation of the battle of the banks, fought on new ground but with the same ultimate intent - to establish dominance in the lucrative business of private lending to the crown.

This book analyses the new strategic decisions of the European Central Bank. Contributors from different fields examine especially the sustainability strategy of the ECB: What role can the European Central Bank play in fighting climate change?  ECB President Christine Lagarde has repeatedly confirmed that the central bank wants to play a role in coping with climate change. What will this role be? What instruments does the ECB have to make a difference in challenges such as the defossilization of the economy and transport, biodiversity, the energy transition, resource consumption and other sustainability areas? Is it entitled or obliged to go beyond the classic mandate of maintaining price stability? The volume includes contributions from academics and practitioners from the financial sector, civil society and institutions involved at European level.

Although the asset management industry has come under increasing scrutiny since the financial crisis it still remains poorly understood and investment scandals continue to headline in the financial press. Whereas most literature on the industry focuses on the technical end - how managers invest and what tips others can glean - this book explores the way these businesses operate as businesses and how they make their money. The book explains how the industry is organized, how firms generate revenues through various types of fund, fees and charges and what cost pressures they face. It investigates the nature of their client relationships, the role played by star investors and the requirement for firms to integrate non-financial considerations into their investment process. The inherent tensions and potential conflicts of interest within asset managers that seek to keep both clients and shareholders happy is also examined. The book concludes by considering how the industry is evolving, the role of regulation and where it is struggling to change. Suitable for students of business and finance, those working in allied areas of the finance sector, and for anyone with a general interest in how financial institutions and markets operate, the book offers readers a balanced and incisive guide to the economics of an industry that globally controls more than $100 trillion of financial assets and a critical appraisal of the sector's future.

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Although the asset management industry has come under increasing scrutiny since the financial crisis it still remains poorly understood and investment scandals continue to headline in the financial press. Whereas most literature on the industry focuses on the technical end - how managers invest and what tips others can glean - this book explores the way these businesses operate as businesses and how they make their money. The book explains how the industry is organized, how firms generate revenues through various types of fund, fees and charges and what cost pressures they face. It investigates the nature of their client relationships, the role played by star investors and the requirement for firms to integrate non-financial considerations into their investment process. The inherent tensions and potential conflicts of interest within asset managers that seek to keep both clients and shareholders happy is also examined. The book concludes by considering how the industry is evolving, the role of regulation and where it is struggling to change. Suitable for students of business and finance, those working in allied areas of the finance sector, and for anyone with a general interest in how financial institutions and markets operate, the book offers readers a balanced and incisive guide to the economics of an industry that globally controls more than $100 trillion of financial assets and a critical appraisal of the sector's future.

This book provides an approach to sustainable decision-making rooted in financial and economic literature. Financial economic techniques have the power to frame the discussion of sustainability to explain who, how, and why sustainability is a growing phenomenon in business and investing. Financial concepts in a sustainable framework provide a theoretical basis to approach research and business questions on sustainability. The framework provides for a better understanding of the different definitions of sustainability and the role those differences have on decisions that will lead to the future of sustainable business. A future which relies on growth driven by expanding its markets' reach (demographics), its innovation or creation of new products, and its capital structure (leverage). Third party certification and governmental regulation become the constraints on that growth as well as the proof of sustainable growth. Finally, the ability and methods for investors to support sustainable growth is addressed in a modern portfolio theory analysis.

Praise for Advising Ultra-Affluent Clients and Family Offices

"Michael Pompian's book Advising Ultra-Affluent Clients and Family Offices is noteworthy for its comprehensiveness. Michael combines 'the big picture' with detailed, prescriptive, and actionable strategies; advisers to wealthy families will receive a detailed understanding of how a quickly evolving landscape impacts their business and its implications for their clients."

-John Benevides, President, Family Office Exchange

"This book should be on the reading list of anyone who wants to be a full-fledged professional in our industry. Michael Pompian has wisely chosen to focus on practical descriptions and recommendations; in my view this is a great plus, as we need more educational resources in this field. Congratulations. The book is well worth reading."

-Jean L.P. Brunel, CFA, Managing Principal, Brunel Associates, LLC

"Ultra-affluent clients want information and advice integrated and in real time. So planning, investing, and measuring become a continuous process. This is very hard to do. Michael Pompian articulates a clear and insightful road map which outlines the process, components, and human factors needed to create a sustainable world-class wealth management program-both advisers and wealth owners would be wise to follow Michael's lead."

-Stephen Martiros, founder, Summitas (www.summitas.com) Managing Partner, CCC Alliance (www.cccalliance.com)

"As wealthy families become more globalized, their needs for wealth preservation and growth have become more complex and sophisticated in times of financial uncertainty. Michael Pompian has crafted an insightful and comprehensive guide for enhancing your own capabilities and awareness on how to advise the most demanding clients. A must-read for all financial advisers "

-Dr. Kurt Moosmann, MBA TEP CFP; cofounder and Managing Partner of Dara Capital Ltd., Zurich, Switzerland

"Without incorporating the critical components of effective family governance and the awareness of generational and behavioral issues, families of wealth and their advisers are operating blind in their wealth management pursuits. Michael Pompian's book gives both advisers and family members essential insights for discovering the risk factors they must consider in today's environment and in finding the resources required to provide consummate solutions."

-Lisa Gray, graymatter Strategies LLC, author of The New Family Office and Generational Wealth Management

"Advising Ultra-Affluent Clients and Family Offices is a valuable 'handbook' that covers all the major areas of wealth management. While Mr. Pompian has written the book primarily for wealth advisers, Advising Ultra-Affluent Clients and Family Offices will provide invaluable insights to ultra-affluent individuals and families, particularly those who are thinking about setting up a family office or becoming clients of a multifamily office."

-Paul R. Perez, CFA, Managing Director, Family Advisory Services, Northern Trust

"I like the way Michael Pompian presents this material. It covers the waterfront with a clear, concise, and compelling treatment. This book will prove useful for family members and family office executives. I especially admire the multigenerational orientation."

-Bradley G. Fisher, CEO, Springcreek Advisors LLC (Multi-Family Office), Corte Madera, California

Financial stability is a pillar of well-functioning financial markets. After the last financial crisis, European policymakers harmonised banking regulation and revised the framework of banking resolution. The introduction of the bail-in legislation is a natural experiment to improve the understanding of banking resolution and how it affected the funding strategies of banks. This book assesses whether financial stability has been strengthened by the change in banks' resolution policy with a focus on the bail-in. The book shows how banks changed their funding strategies, shrank their balance-sheets and relied more on deposits. The book will discuss inter-alia the mis-selling of bonds, which happened during 2012-2013, analysing whether the bond allocation changed after the bail-in launch. It discusses how the bail-in mechanism was deemed credible by equity holders and argues that the European case would have useful implications for third countries. Finally, the book relates this discussion to the possible collateral effects generated by the new resolution policy during and after the COVID-19 crisis, which will be of particular interest to researchers and policymakers in banking and financial institutions.

One of the chief objectives of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DFA) is to promote financial stability within the United States, without the need for emergency governmental assistance to troubled firms. This book reviews the legal structure of the DFA's living will requirements; and examines some of the steps that these institutions might voluntarily take, which, in the view of the FRB and FDIC, would improve their resolvability, including strategic divestiture; legal reorganization; amendment of default trigger provisions of qualified financial contracts; and increasing their long-term, unsecured debt as a proportion of their assets.

An insightful look at leadership transition from the successor's perspective Success and Succession examines the leadership transition process from the successor's point of view, and outlines the considerations and strategies that lead to a better future for the business. With a focus on practical planning and execution, this insightful guide provides insight into the strategies that smooth the transition and help the new leadership make better business decisions. You'll learn when and how to start planning, who you need on your team, and the obstacles you should anticipate along the way. You'll learn to navigate the uncertainty the process entails, and how to identify opportunities for reciprocal understanding and adopt workable approaches for successful resolution of a multitude of transition issues. Interviews with those at various stages of transition highlight the real-world application of these ideas, and give you an inside look at what worked, what didn't, and what they wish they had thought of. The transition of leadership in an independent, non-public professional service business can be emotional and difficult for everyone. This book gives you a framework for smoothing the process and driving the best possible future of the business. * Consider the complexities of succession and transition * Balance conflicting dynamics of outgoing and incoming leadership * Plan for operational, financial, and emotional obstacles * Develop and execute a winning strategy for long term success The transition from founder to successor is far from an academic exercise, and is not linear. Answers are hard to find, and the ebb and flow of the process requires patience, creativity, and willingness to try again. Success and Succession provides a unique strategy for success, from the perspective of incoming leadership.

The financial crisis and the ensuing Great Recession alerted those seeking to protect old-age security, about the extreme risks confronting the financial and political institutions comprising our retirement system. The workforce of today and tomorrow must count on longer lives and deferred retirement, while at the same time it is taking on increased responsibility for managing retirement risk. This volume explores new ways to think about, manage, and finance longevity risk, capital market risk, model risk, and regulatory risk. This volume offers an in-depth analysis of the 'black swans' that threaten private and public pensions around the world. Capital market shocks, surprises to longevity, regulatory/political risk, and errors in modelling, will all have profound consequences for stakeholders ranging from pension plan participants, plan sponsors, policymakers, and those who seek to make retirement more resistant. This book analyzes such challenges to retirement sustainability, and it explores ways to better manage and finance them. Insights provided help build retirement systems capable of withstanding what the future will bring.

Equivalence in Financial Services offers a comprehensive and cross-industry examination of the rules and procedures under EU financial legislation dedicated to third-country market actors. The equivalence regime has become particularly topical after Brexit, as the United Kingdom is now a third country from the perspective of the European Union. This book investigates whether the current equivalence system is fit for its purpose, namely facilitating cross-border finance while minimizing as extensively as possible financial risks. After describing how the European Commission adopts equivalence measures, the book examines the implementation of the equivalence regime for the following entities: Credit Rating Agencies, Benchmarks, Trading Venues, Investment Firms, Investment Funds, Central Securities Depositories, Trade Repositories, and Central Counterparties. Addressing the most recent policy and legal developments, Equivalence in Financial Services provides an insightful guide into this complex area of financial regulation for scholars of financial regulation, legal practitioners, and policy makers.

This book discusses the payout phase of the old-age pension saving scheme, the so-called effective premium, and offers detailed actuarial models and analyses of five old-age pension saving products used in practice. These include the basic permanent monthly annuity, without any benefits for survivors, as well as products which, in addition, also include benefits for survivors or authorized persons in the event of the pensioner's death. The purpose of the book is to point out the method of determining future old-age pensions from old-age pension savings, and to present the advantages and disadvantages of such a pension. The book also emphasizes the role of the profitability testing of the products and answers questions concerning the effectiveness of old-age pension savings and insurance. The book is primarily intended for students of actuarial and financial mathematics and future economists.

How could a small country in the middle of Europe, surrounded by much bigger countries and economic giants like Germany and France and in direct competition with North American and Asian rivals, develop world-class, cutting-edge financial markets? Swiss Finance answers this question, separating myth from reality, by explaining how Switzerland managed dramatic pressures brought to bear on its financial markets during the past two decades, perhaps none of them so great as the: * Competitive challenges caused by changes in Switzerland's banking secrecy laws and practices, * Shifting tide of new wealth generation toward Asia (e.g., China, Singapore, and South Korea), * Burdensome federal stamp and withholding taxes, and * Digitalization of the financial services industry, including cybersecurity, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, central bank digital currencies, the FinTech revolution, and DLT applications. Swiss Finance thoroughly analyzes Swiss financial markets' successes and challenges. It covers critical topics for practitioners and academics to fully understand this unique development in world financial markets and private wealth administration.

Use this practical, step-by-step guide for developers and entrepreneurs to create and run your own cryptocurrency. Author Slava Gomzin has created two cryptocurrencies and describes in this book the technology and economics of cryptocurrencies as preparation for crypto trading, investing, and other business activities. A detailed overview of special topics includes security, privacy, and usability of crypto as a mainstream payment system. Part I, Understanding Crypto, explains the technology and economic, security, and usability aspects of crypto. This is an introduction to the world of cryptography, blockchain tech, and other elements of crypto such as security, privacy, and a detailed review of payment processing. Part II, Using Crypto, provides the practical knowledge you need to dive into the crypto business such as investment, trading, and even creating your own crypto project. Part III, Creating Your Own Crypto, teaches you how to launch your own crypto project and create your own cryptocurrency. What You Will Learn Know how cryptography, Bitcoin, and other cryptos work Understand how crypto becomes money, and how crypto exchanges work Use crypto as a payment method Buy your first crypto and know what exchange you should use Be aware of the most dangerous crypto attacks and what to do about security and privacy Maintain anonymity and privacy while dealing with crypto Know how Monero (the most popular privacy-centric cryptocurrency) works Create and run your own crypto project Create your own token, both regular (fungible) and NFT (non-fungible), from selecting the platform to economics and finances Who This Book Is For Crypto inventors, entrepreneurs, developers, investors, and advisors who are thinking about creating their own cryptocurrency; traders and investors, both professional and amateur, looking to enter the crypto markets; and software architects, developers, managers, consultants, executives, and crypto enthusiasts working for merchants, banks, fintech companies, and many other businesses that have started accepting crypto payments or dealing with other aspects of crypto