In some circles, transparency has become a buzzword as organizations face increasing pressure from institutional shareholders and regulators, banks and other stakeholders needing to monitor financial conditions and managerial decisions more closely to protect their interests. The call for corporate transparency has also intensified for banks since the recent global financial crises and as a result of a series of egregious financial scandals. For this volume we have collected 12 original research papers dealing with various issues relating to transparency. This topic spans many disciplines beyond accounting and finance, intersecting economics, law and management, embracing sociology and political science, and offering opportunities for creative interdisciplinary research. We hope this volume is a useful one-stop reference for students and scholars as well as practitioners and policymakers interested in such work.

This book covers the recent literature concerning Islamic banking and finance (IBF), focuses on the history of IBF since its inception and introduces the latest innovative concepts and practices in the field. The authors cover important topics such as the role of ownership, Shari`ah compliance and governance structures in raising debt capital using IBF practices, including Fatwa issues and the use of benchmarking practices. The book also addresses topics like archival data, the influence of leverage on ownership structure, and sukuk structures, as well as misconceptions, threats, challenges and opportunities in IBF. Finally, the book deals with prominent issues such as business score-carding, Takaful (Islamic Insurance), IBF implications for block-chain-based fintech and finance hub concepts in Islamic microfinance models. This edited volume is an important contribution to the IBF literature as it provides a much-needed in-depth look into industry practices through the perspective of corporate finance and governance. With its interdisciplinary approach covering legal and financial issues along with a wide variety of notable contributors, this book will be a valuable reference guide to both teachers and students of Islamic banking and economics.

This book provides an introduction to R programming and a summary of financial mathematics. It is not always easy for graduate students to grasp an overview of the theory of finance in an abstract form. For newcomers to the finance industry, it is not always obvious how to apply the abstract theory to the real financial data they encounter. Introducing finance theory alongside numerical applications makes it easier to grasp the subject. Popular programming languages like C++, which are used in many financial applications are meant for general-purpose requirements. They are good for implementing large-scale distributed systems for simultaneously valuing many financial contracts, but they are not as suitable for small-scale ad-hoc analysis or exploration of financial data. The R programming language overcomes this problem. R can be used for numerical applications including statistical analysis, time series analysis, numerical methods for pricing financial contracts, etc. This book provides an overview of financial mathematics with numerous examples numerically illustrated using the R programming language.

Today, the role of emerging countries in the world economy is significant. However, the financial sector has experienced a decade of turbulence and as a result emerging markets are facing unique challenges. Moreover, the integration of emerging markets into the global financial markets has significant consequences for the growth and stability of the economy and sets new challenges for economic policy-makers. The biggest challenge is in finding ways to sustain their current trajectory and in taking a more decisive role in shaping the global financial architecture to ensure sustainable growth. They need to ensure a collective prudential system can be built in the near future to withstand the difficult challenges ahead.
"Emerging Markets and Financial Resilience" brings together the latest research on the most pressing issues affecting finance in emerging markets. Written in five parts, the book includes newly emerging research topics in finance such as the role of social capital and natural resource in financial market development; and socially responsible investing funds in East Asian emerging markets. It also presents new empirical evidence on established research topics such as portfolio management, international parities, foreign direct investment, momentum anomalies and corporate finance. "Emerging Markets and Financial Resilience" is an ideal resource for researchers, postgraduate students, practitioners and regulators interested in Asia as an emerging market.

In a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, this book provides empirical guidance to the economy and what to expect in the near and distant future. Beginning with a historic look at major contributions to economic indicators and business cycles starting with Wesley Clair Mitchell (1913) to Burns and Mitchell (1946), to Moore (1961) and Zarnowitz (1992), this book explores time series forecasting and economic cycles, which are currently maintained and enhanced by The Conference Board. Given their highly statistically significant relationship with GDP and the unemployment rate, these relationships are particularly useful for practitioners to help predict business cycles.

Beyond Fintech: Technology Applications for the Islamic Economy is a follow-up to the first-ever Islamic Fintech book by the author (published in 2018) that provided linkages between Islamic Finance and disruptive technologies like the blockchain. In the wake of fintech as a new trend in financial markets, the ground-breaking book stressed the relevance of Islamic finance and its implications, when enabled by fintech, towards the development of the Islamic digital economy. While the earlier work discussed the crucial innovation, structural, and institutional development for financial technologies in Islamic Finance, this new research explores the multiple applications possible in the various sectors of the economy, within and beyond finance, that can be significantly transformed. These revolutionary applications involve the integration of AI, blockchain, data analytics, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices for a holistic solution to tackle the bottlenecks and other issues in existing processes of traditional systems. The principles of accountability, duty, justice, and transparency are the foundation of shaping the framework in achieving good governance in all institutions - public or private, Islamic or otherwise. Technologies like AI, blockchain, and IoT devices can operationalize the transparency and accountability that is required to eradicate poverty, distribute wealth, enhance micro-, small- and large-scale initiatives for social and economic development, and thus share prosperity for a moral system that enables a more secure and sustainable economy.

Financial authorities face a number of key challenges, including maintaining financial stability; ensuring long-term finance for stable economic growth; promoting greater access to financial services for both households and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and fostering a competitive financial industry. Access to finance for SMEs is particularly important, given their large shares in economic activity and employment in Asian economies. Striking the appropriate balance in achieving these objectives through financial supervision and regulation is an important policy issue for financial regulators. This book is the record of a joint conference in 2014 organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute; Financial Services Agency, Japan; and International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific on the topic of financial system stability, regulation, and financial inclusion. Participants included noted scholars, policymakers, and financial industrial participants from Asia. ADB Institute The ADB Institute, located in Tokyo, is the think tank of the Asian Development Bank. Its mission is to identify effective development strategies and improve development management in ADB's developing member countries. Financial Services Agency, Japan The Financial Services Agency, Japan is responsible for ensuring the stability of Japan's financial system, the protection of depositors, insurance policyholders and securities investors, and smooth finance through such measures as planning and policymaking. International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific The International Monetary Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific contributes to economic surveillance and research, leads the IMF's involvement in regional cooperation, manages regional capacity building programs, and promotes the understanding and two-way dialogue of the IMF in the region.

Recent years have witnessed a growing importance of quantitative methods in both financial research and industry. This development requires the use of advanced techniques on a theoretical and applied level, especially when it comes to the quantification of risk and the valuation of modern financial products. Applied Quantitative Finance (2nd edition) provides a comprehensive and state-of-the-art treatment of cutting-edge topics and methods. It provides solutions to and presents theoretical developments in many practical problems such as risk management, pricing of credit derivatives, quantification of volatility and copula modelling. The synthesis of theory and practice supported by computational tools is reflected in the selection of topics as well as in a finely tuned balance of scientific contributions on practical implementation and theoretical concepts. This linkage between theory and practice offers theoreticians insights into considerations of applicability and, vice versa, provides practitioners comfortable access to new techniques in quantitative finance. Themes that are dominant in current research and which are presented in this book include among others the valuation of Collaterized Debt Obligations (CDOs), the high-frequency analysis of market liquidity, the pricing of Bermuda options and realized volatility. All Quantlets for the calculation of the given examples are downloadable from the Springer web pages.

The industrialised world has witnessed a dramatic increase in the volume of international capital movements in the forms of borrowing and lending, bond transactions and foreign direct investment. At the same time, many non-OECD countries have embarked on extensive programmes of capital market liberalisation. This volume examines the implications of this increased international capital mobility for both industrialised and developing countries. The contributors look at the effect of developments on economic fluctuations, and on fiscal and monetary policies under alternative exchange rate regimes. They also address the erosion of capital taxation as a source of government revenue, the contribution of mobile capital to development with 'endogenous growth', the role of mobile capital in reducing unemployment where there are large-scale population flows, and the convergence of national growth rates.

A number of methodologies have been employed to provide decision making solutions to a whole assortment of financial problems in today's globalized markets. Hidden Markov Models in Finance by Mamon and Elliott will be the first systematic application of these methods to some special kinds of financial problems; namely, pricing options and variance swaps, valuation of life insurance policies, interest rate theory, credit risk modeling, risk management, analysis of future demand and inventory level, testing foreign exchange rate hypothesis, and early warning systems for currency crises. This book provides researchers and practitioners with analyses that allow them to sort through the random noise of financial markets (i.e., turbulence, volatility, emotion, chaotic events, etc.) and analyze the fundamental components of economic markets. Hence, Hidden Markov Models in Finance provides decision makers with a clear, accurate picture of core financial components by filtering out the random noise in financial markets.

The theme of Research in Finance vol. 29 is "Dealing with Crisis and Regulation." The first chapter looks for solutions to the European financial crisis, and the second provides a study of audit qualifications for accounting firms in Spain using advanced empirical methods. The next chapters are more international in focus, with topics including: business strategies for competition in Mexico; anomalies in the real return on corporate equity compared to real assets; the stabilizing influence of commodity futures trading in oil and gold. The following chapters explore the unintended consequences and burdens of regulations, for example the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and other more deeply underlying factors in the financial markets. The regulatory examination then shifts to the electric power grid, and some unintended consequences of the new regulations requiring retail utilities to buy all the power produced by wind and solar generators linked to their grid.

This book analyses and discusses current issues and trends in finance with a special focus on technological developments and innovations. The book presents an overview of the classical and traditional approaches of financial management in companies and discusses its key strategic role in corporate performance. Furthermore, the volume illustrates how the emerging technological innovations will shape the theory and practice of financial management, focusing especially on the decentralized financial ecosystems that blockchain and its related technologies allow.

Build a better, faster forecast. In this Authority Guide, forecasting guru Simon Thompson shows you how to build financial forecasts quickly, effectively and cheaply through his unique, proven and easy-to-follow 10-step process. By learning how to create effective forecasts you will master the ability to understand the potential financial outcomes for your business and be able to communicate financial information in order to successfully raise investment or loans.

The 2008 financial crisis was a watershed moment which clearly influenced the public's perception of the role of 'finance' in society. Since 2008, a plethora of books and newspaper articles have been produced accusing the academic community of being unable to produce valid models which can accommodate those extreme events. This unique Handbook brings together leading practitioners and academics in the areas of banking, mathematics, and law to present original research on the key issues affecting financial modelling since the 2008 financial crisis. As well as exploring themes of distributional assumptions and efficiency the Handbook also explores how financial modelling can possibly be re-interpreted in light of the 2008 crisis.

This book presents empirical research that addresses the latest issues and innovative products in Islamic banking and finance around the world. Chapters from expert contributors cover a wide range of topics, including the various issues in stock markets, an overview of takaful, a roadmap for introducing Islamic finance to uncharted territories and an in-depth analysis of the current challenges. Case studies and statistics provide up to date information that can be used for future research. This book will be of interest to academics and researchers who wish to learn more about the challenges of Islamic finance and economics.

Investors receive thousands of business plans, but only a few businesses receive funding. While there are many "how-tos" out there for entrepreneurs, no one has focused on the mind-set, tools, and foundation that are important to investors, and therefore essential to entrepreneurs. Getting Funded examines and develops a framework on which to base a business concept, conduct due diligence research and risk analysis, refine a business model and reformulate a business strategy, and develop a risk and reward structure that protects investment money and incentivizes entrepreneurs to successfully manage the opportunity to create and share value. Getting Funded shows entrepreneurs the tools and framework critical to a venture's success, teaching entrepreneurs to refine their business model and strategy as well as to develop an investment model to improve the investability of the venture and thereby increase the chances of getting funded. Even without the need for external funding, these tools will improve a venture's potential odds of success. Listen to the author discuss the book on the UK-based radio show, The Evening Show with Simon Rose.

The Money Shot provides a real look into the lives of a professional athlete and how this new-found fame and fortune can change their lives. Walking through the financial maze can be challenging for athletes who really need to focus on game performance. The tips and tools in the Money Shot allows athletes and their families to clearly identify how to find success in the money game so they can focus on career success as an athlete. Exploring the "do's" and "don'ts" of saving, spending, using, and growing money, the Money Shot is designed to provide the roadmap to successful financial performance by laying out the steps play byplay. Athletes and their families gain knowledge to make the right moves for their financial present and future, and confidence to know they are performing at peak levels in the money game.

Industry 4.0 has spread globally since its inception in 2011, now encompassing many sectors, including its diffusion in the field of financial services. By combining information technology and automation, it is now canvassing the insurance sector, which is in dire need of digital transformation. This book presents a business model of Insurance 4.0 by detailing its implementation in processes, platforms, persons, and partnerships of the insurance companies alongside looking at future developments. Filled with business cases in insurance companies and financial services, this book will be of interest to those academics and researchers of insurance, financial technology, and digital transformation, alongside executives and managers of insurance companies.

The Spanish expression--la cultura cura (culture heals)--is an affirmation of the potential healing power of a variety of cultural practices that together constitute the ethos of a people. What happens, however, when cultures themselves are in jeopardy? What are the "antidotes" or healing modalities for an ailing culture? Healing Cultures addresses these questions from a variety of disciplines--anthropology, holistic folk traditions, literature, film, cultural and religious studies--bringing together the broad range of beliefs and the spectrum of practices that have sustained the peoples and cultures of the Caribbean.

Through a coherent framework for pursuing such far-ranging changes, this easy-to-understand book addresses new ways for individuals and organizations to invest grant funds, approach regulatory structures that guide giving, and define their goals, activities, outcomes, and achievements. The author applies basic principles of industrial theory and evolution to examine, with a trained scholar's eye, how individual organizations, associations, and the philanthropic infrastructure can work more effectively.

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The phenomenal growth of Islamic finance in the last few decades has been accompanied by a host of interesting questions and challenges. One of the critical challenges is how Islamic financial institutions can be motivated to participate in the 'equity-like' profit-and-loss sharing (PLS) contracts. It is observed that Islamic banks are reluctant to participate in the pure PLS scheme which is manifested by the rising concentration of investment on murabaha or mark-up financing. This phenomenon has been the hotbed of academic criticism on the contemporary practice of Islamic banking. This book explains the 'murabaha syndrome' in light of the incentive provided by the current institutional framework and what are the changes required in the governance structure to mend this anomaly.

The proliferation of financial derivatives over the past decades, options in particular, has underscored the increasing importance of derivative pricing literacy among students, researchers, and practitioners. Derivative Pricing: A Problem-Based Primer demystifies the essential derivative pricing theory by adopting a mathematically rigorous yet widely accessible pedagogical approach that will appeal to a wide variety of audience. Abandoning the traditional "black-box" approach or theorists' "pedantic" approach, this textbook provides readers with a solid understanding of the fundamental mechanism of derivative pricing methodologies and their underlying theory through a diversity of illustrative examples. The abundance of exercises and problems makes the book well-suited as a text for advanced undergraduates, beginning graduates as well as a reference for professionals and researchers who need a thorough understanding of not only "how," but also "why" derivative pricing works. It is especially ideal for students who need to prepare for the derivatives portion of the Society of Actuaries Investment and Financial Markets Exam. Features Lucid explanations of the theory and assumptions behind various derivative pricing models. Emphasis on intuitions, mnemonics as well as common fallacies. Interspersed with illustrative examples and end-of-chapter problems that aid a deep understanding of concepts in derivative pricing. Mathematical derivations, while not eschewed, are made maximally accessible. A solutions manual is available for qualified instructors. The Author Ambrose Lo is currently Assistant Professor of Actuarial Science at the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at the University of Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Actuarial Science from the University of Hong Kong in 2014, with dependence structures, risk measures, and optimal reinsurance being his research interests. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA). His research papers have been published in top-tier actuarial journals, such as ASTIN Bulletin: The Journal of the International Actuarial Association, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, and Scandinavian Actuarial Journal.

Everything you need to know to succeed in today's fastest growing sector of the consulting market.

Jim Ainsworth is an extremely successful financial planning professional with more than 30 years in the business. In How to Become a Successful Financial Consultant, he tells you everything you need to know to move into financial consulting. He familiarizes you with all the types of planning that financial consultants deal with, as well as the various investment vehicles. And, based on his own experiences and those of other successful financial consultants across the nation, he supplies you with a proven blueprint for success. You get expert advice, guidance, and insiders' tips on how to:

• Get the education, experience, and licensing you need to qualify.
• Get certified (and whether you need to).
• Develop a surefire success plan.
• Set up a practice and attract clients.
• Network, market, and sell your services.
• Set fees and collect other forms of compensation for your services.
• Avoid the 10 most common mistakes that beginners make.
• Get the most out of meetings and professional conferences.

Written by Jim Ainsworth, a financial planning professional with 30 years in the business, this valuable guide provides professionals interested in making the move into financial consulting with everything they need to know to make a living investing other people's money.

Drawing on his personal experiences and those of colleagues across North America, Ainsworth covers all the bases. He begins by describing the three major groups of financial planners and the seven different styles of asset management and helps you to decide which is right for you. You find out all about the various types of financial planning that most consultants deal with—including estate planning, retirement planning, and family financial planning—and the best investment vehicles currently available.

Ainsworth then cuts to the chase and provides the nuts-and-bolts information you need to make it as a financial adviser. Writing in a down-to-earth style, he tells you what type of education and experience you need to become an effective financial consultant, how to become licensed, how to get started in business, how to set fees and receive compensation, how to market your services and promote different financial instruments, and much more. He shows you how to develop a surefire success plan, and he supplies expert advice and guidance on how to avoid the top 10 beginners' mistakes.

Throughout this book, Ainsworth advocates taking a holistic approach to financial planning—one that takes into consideration not just people's differing needs, but their contrasting attitudes about money and investments. To that end, he provides insightful profiles of the different types of "money personalities" in the financial world and shows you how to identify and successfully work with each type.

How to Become a Successful Financial Consultant is your complete guide to making it in today's fastest growing sector of the consulting market.

Following years of control and regulation, there has been a massive trend towards the liberalisation of financial markets. This volume provides an analysis of this process and considers likely future developments. It is divided into three parts: the first covers the behaviour of households and firms; the second includes papers on stock, bond and currency markets; and the third part analyses the behaviour and performance of financial intermediaries, particularly banks. The topics examined range from the demand for personal and corporate credit and the allocation of savers' wealth, to innovations in securities and services traded in financial markets, and their regulation. The essays represent a blend of both theoretical and empirical work, the latter focusing in particular on Europe and the recent integration of financial markets on the continent. Discussions of the essays are provided by some of the world's leading financial economists.

As the world's political and economic leaders struggle with the aftermath of the Financial Debacle of 2008, this book asks the question: have financial crises presented opportunities to rebuild the financial system? Examining eight global financial crises since the late nineteenth century, this new historical study offers insights into how the financial landscape - banks, governance, regulation, international cooperation, and balance of power - has been (or failed to be) reshaped after a systemic shock. It includes careful consideration of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the only experience of comparable moment to the recession of the early twenty-first century, yet also marked in its differences. Taking into account not only the economic and business aspects of financial crises, but also their political and socio-cultural dimensions, the book highlights both their idiosyncrasies and common features, and assesses their impact in the broader context of long-term historical development.