The banking and financial landscape has been inundated with technology over the last decade, with FinTech, InsurTech and RegTech being just some of the new applications within finance. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), FinTech is yet to find its feet despite several digital transformation drives initiated by the regional governments in the UAE and Bahrain. In comparison to conventional finance, the use of FinTech within Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) in GCC countries is still in its very early stages. However, the potential disruption that technology may cause for the Islamic finance sector within this region cannot be underestimated. Aiming to highlight, examine and address key strategic, operational and regulatory issues facing IFIs as they make an effort to keep up with the FinTech revolution, this book explores the market positioning, product structure and placement, delivery channels and customer requirements within the GCC market. The authors evaluate the current situation and look forward to future regulation surrounding technology and financial institutions within the GCC. Scholars and students researching Islamic finance and financial technology will find this book an insightful and valuable read, as well as those interested in international finance more generally.

The banking and financial landscape has been inundated with technology over the last decade, with FinTech, InsurTech and RegTech being just some of the new applications within finance. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), FinTech is yet to find its feet despite several digital transformation drives initiated by the regional governments in the UAE and Bahrain. In comparison to conventional finance, the use of FinTech within Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) in GCC countries is still in its very early stages. However, the potential disruption that technology may cause for the Islamic finance sector within this region cannot be underestimated. Aiming to highlight, examine and address key strategic, operational and regulatory issues facing IFIs as they make an effort to keep up with the FinTech revolution, this book explores the market positioning, product structure and placement, delivery channels and customer requirements within the GCC market. The authors evaluate the current situation and look forward to future regulation surrounding technology and financial institutions within the GCC. Scholars and students researching Islamic finance and financial technology will find this book an insightful and valuable read, as well as those interested in international finance more generally.

This book provides a comprehensive and practical guide to Islamic finance. It covers a broad range of important topics including Islamic banking, capital markets, Takaful, wealth management, Fintech in Islamic finance, compliance and governance issues. It begins by introducing Islamic banking, covering its objectives, principles and evolution, before moving on to discuss the religious foundations of Islamic finance. The prohibition of Riba and Gharar and Islamic contracts are explored, before Islamic deposits, and financing are discussed in practice. A comparative analysis is provided between Islamic banking products and services in a range of counties throughout the world. Information technology including fintech, payment and settlement networks, opportunities and challenges are also addressed. Corporate governance, Islamic capital markets, and Islamic insurance (Takaful) are all explored, before concluding with a chapter on wealth management and Islamic investment funds. It features case studies based on the authors' own experiences consulting with Islamic financial institutions. Ideal for those looking to improve their understanding of practical Islamic financing models, contracts, product structures and product features, this book will appeal to both students and practitioners in Islamic finance and banking, those based in Islamic financial institutions, and those based in conventional financial institutions who may be looking to enter the Islamic financial market.

This book explores contemporary empirical issues in Islamic economics. It begins by outlining current trends in Islamic economics and before identifying gaps in the empirical research. It then goes on to discuss the role of institutions in economic growth for Islamic countries, and the fiscal aspects of Islamic economics. It explores issues in debt and growth, as well as the instruments of monetary management in Islamic economics. It analyses the trade-off between growth and stability and concludes with discussion of Zakat and Waqf in driving growth.

This book focuses on current issues impacting the Islamic banking system globally. The contributions introduce readers to existing research and literature in the field and highlight areas of potential scholarly development within Islamic banking studies. The chapters are a variety of case studies, theoretical reviews, and empirical research within the world of Islamic banking. The contributions analyse new developments within Islamic banks from OIC member countries, Malaysia and the GCC. Particular attention is paid to the formative insolvency case of Arcapita Bank in chapter 6. Other chapters provide detailed discussion of the structures, marketing activities and products of Islamic banks, and contrast them with those of counterpart conventional banks. Through this edited collection, readers are given expert insight into contemporary, critical issues facing the growing sphere of Islamic banking.

This book addresses contemporary empirical issues in Islamic stock markets including volatility, efficiency and Sukuk defaults. The studies contained within this book consider a combination of pure Islamic stock markets and comparative studies, with reference to their conventional counterparts. The authors provide up-to-date, robust, accurate, reliable empirical enquiries addressing current issues of stock markets as well as providing up to date information and statistics to support future development and research. The book also covers a chapter on the current trends in research in Islamic capital markets, which analyses some recent and leading works to highlight and indicate the gaps in research that require further exploration. This book will be of value to all those who wish to gain a more thorough understanding of research in Islamic capital markets and the major topics in the field.

FinTech is an emerging field and most of the existing literature appears in the form of industry reports, consulting reports, working papers, and policy recommendations. Although FinTech has been widely discussed for many years, there is a paucity of literature on some categorizations of FinTech. This edited volume distinguishes itself by focusing on academic works of scholars with a different area of specialization in the FinTech field including technology, innovation and regulation. In particular, the book focuses on the laws and technologies necessary to comprehend the role of the legal system in technological innovations and will be helpful for regulatory policymaking. A practical compendium that explains concepts and follows through on applications in FinTech including its challenges and evolving nature, this book will be of interest to students, scholars, practitioners as well as regulators and policy makers.

Financial Technology (Fintech) has revolutionized the financial world as one of the fastest-growing segments in both the technology and financial sectors. With the usage of underlying principles of Blockchain technology, Fintech is bringing the financial community together and making financial services accessible to everyone. Fintech has far-reaching implications for Islamic finance such as banking, investment, insurance (takaful) and wealth management, which are benefitting from this usage. This book provides a comprehensive review of how Fintech is shaping the Islamic finance industry through three key aspects: Digitalization, Development and Disruption. The book will provide insight on the Shariahtech (Fintech in line with Shariah principle) and its application in the Islamic finance industry. The book also gives an overview of Blockchain and Fintech evolution and how they act as the building blocks of the digital financial landscape. Readers of the book will also get a detailed discernment on the Islamic viewpoint on cryptocurrency as well as the application of the smart contract in different Islamic financial services. The book provides students, academics and researchers with a detailed description of the Blockchain and Fintech application in Islamic finance.

Financial Technology (Fintech) has revolutionized the financial world as one of the fastest-growing segments in both the technology and financial sectors. With the usage of underlying principles of Blockchain technology, Fintech is bringing the financial community together and making financial services accessible to everyone. Fintech has far-reaching implications for Islamic finance such as banking, investment, insurance (takaful) and wealth management, which are benefitting from this usage. This book provides a comprehensive review of how Fintech is shaping the Islamic finance industry through three key aspects: Digitalization, Development and Disruption. The book will provide insight on the Shariahtech (Fintech in line with Shariah principle) and its application in the Islamic finance industry. The book also gives an overview of Blockchain and Fintech evolution and how they act as the building blocks of the digital financial landscape. Readers of the book will also get a detailed discernment on the Islamic viewpoint on cryptocurrency as well as the application of the smart contract in different Islamic financial services. The book provides students, academics and researchers with a detailed description of the Blockchain and Fintech application in Islamic finance.

This book provides a comprehensive and practical guide to Islamic finance. It covers a broad range of important topics including Islamic banking, capital markets, Takaful, wealth management, Fintech in Islamic finance, compliance and governance issues. It begins by introducing Islamic banking, covering its objectives, principles and evolution, before moving on to discuss the religious foundations of Islamic finance. The prohibition of Riba and Gharar and Islamic contracts are explored, before Islamic deposits, and financing are discussed in practice. A comparative analysis is provided between Islamic banking products and services in a range of counties throughout the world. Information technology including fintech, payment and settlement networks, opportunities and challenges are also addressed. Corporate governance, Islamic capital markets, and Islamic insurance (Takaful) are all explored, before concluding with a chapter on wealth management and Islamic investment funds. It features case studies based on the authors' own experiences consulting with Islamic financial institutions. Ideal for those looking to improve their understanding of practical Islamic financing models, contracts, product structures and product features, this book will appeal to both students and practitioners in Islamic finance and banking, those based in Islamic financial institutions, and those based in conventional financial institutions who may be looking to enter the Islamic financial market.