INCEIF Knowledge Repository (INCEIF University)
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MMA and CMDA publish annual reports
No full textThe central bank of the Maldives, the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), has published its annual report for 2018. The governor stated in the report that he is happy to reveal that an MMA staff member was selected to pursue postgraduate studies in Islamic banking and finance - a highly sought-after and up-and-coming field in today's world of finance. In addition, several changes were made to the organizational structure of the MMA during the year, to enhance the operational efficiency and governance of the institution
A brief history of waqf: an Islamic socio-financial institution of philanthropic endowment
No full textAbu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying: When a man dies his acts come to an end, except three things, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people benefit), or pious offspring, who pray for him. (Sahih Muslim). Looking at the economic situation of Muslim countries today in terms of their high unemployment rate, high illiteracy rate, lack of healthcare, inadequate transport facilities, the spread of poverty and the low level of food production encourages the author to look at the institution of waqf more profound as an authentic socio-financial tool to help minimize such problems. This raises the following questions; what role did this institution play in the past? Why its role declined in the past century? How to revive its role again? What can this institution provide to the different Muslim societies today
The impact of social and environmental sustainability on financial performance: a global analysis of the banking sector
No full textDespite the promising evidence of the corporate social and environmental performance-corporate financial performance relations across various business sectors, the findings from banking sector remain limited and inconclusive. This article examines the impact of access to finance and environmental financing on the financial performance of the banking sector globally. Based on cross-sectional linear regression and non-linear threshold regression of 713 banks from 75 countries over the period of 2013-2015, we find that access to finance has significantly positive effects on banks' financial performance in most of the estimation models controlling for both bank specific and macroeconomic variables. The positive impact on financial performance is channelled through loan growth (in both cases) and management quality (in the case of access to finance). We find that banks with total assets of lower than USD 2.07 billion experience significantly positive impact of access to finance on their ROE. Policy implications toward policy and regulatory development in the banking sector are discussed
'SuduNest' a potential model for financial inclusion
No full textIslamic social finance (ISF) tools have been instrumental in alleviating poverty as they promote fairness in the distribution of wealth in society. For Malaysia, when effectively mobilised, such instruments are expected to create a significant positive impact on both socio-economic situation and Malaysia's economic growth in general. As an impact-focused technique, community investment through cash Waqf for example, has potential to support those that are less advantaged and provide entrepreneurial assistance through asset purchases and working capital needs. To this end, we present a model of Islamic social finance based on the 'Central Halal Kitchen' concept, using e-hailing delivery solutions for distribution
Ethical investments and financial performance: an international evidence
No full textThis paper examines the financial performance of ethical funds in different regions and concludes that there is a cost attached to ethical investing. An analysis of 964 mutual funds comprising of Socially responsible funds (SRFs) and the Shariah-compliant equity funds (SCFs) suggests that: a) except for global funds, both types of funds underperform in the market, b) both types of funds are preferred for investment in growth and momentum stocks, c) SRFs are preferred for small capitalized stocks whereas SCFs do not follow any specific style or investment strategy, d) unlike SRFs, SCFs do not provide a safe haven for investors during crises. These findings are probably due to the lack of diversification opportunities and poor managerial skills. The results are robust to various asset pricing models and macroeconomic factors
Is there a cost for adopting faith-based investment styles?
No full textInvestment is an activity that involves the commitment of resources for a certain holding period in anticipation of creating more resource (wealth). This chapter focuses on the risk-adjusted performance of two-specific classes of assets, namely, the socially responsible investment (SRI) class and the shariah-compliant classes of assets. The aim is to ascertain whether investors have to bear an extra cost for choosing these classes of assets in their portfolio. In managing the Islamic finance space, religiosity and/or ethical practices prompt investors to discard so-called 'sin-stocks' and limit their investment horizons to permissible faith-based investment alternatives ..
Maldives Islamic Bank to go for IPO and new SME bank to offer Islamic finance
No full textThe Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) plans to go for an IPO this year. The current shareholdings in MIB are 70% by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, 25% by the government of the Maldives and 5% by Amana Takaful Maldives, the only Islamic equity listed on the Maldives Stock Exchange since 2011
The Maldives's vision to be an Islamic finance hub
No full textOutstanding employees for 2018 were honored during the Capital Market Development Authority (CMDA)'s 13th anniversary event held on the 10th February 2019 at Champa Central Hotel, Male. The chief guest of the ceremony, Minister of Finance and Treasury Ibrahim Ameer, emphasized in his speech the vision of the government to sustain Islamic finance in the country and to strategize the Maldives as a hub of Islamic finance
Debt and exchange rate vulnerability
No full textMuslim-majority nations like Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt and even Malaysia have seen their currencies depreciate and come under pressure in the recent past. Turkey and Egypt have had to increase domestic interest rates substantially to ease the exchange rate pressure. Indonesia, too, had to raise rates, albeit of a much lower magnitude. The choice of an exchange rate policy - whether pegged, free floating or managed - depends on the trade-off preference. Fixed or pegged exchange rates offer stability, but this has to be traded off against the lack of independence in monetary policymaking. A freely floating currency has the advantage of providing full flexibility in policymaking, but has to be traded off against the lack of exchange rate stability. Faced with these trade-offs between fixed and free floats, many countries chose to be in between the two, with managed floats
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) funding gap in Islamic finance - a reflection
No full textThe Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has estimated that the financing gap of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is about USD1 trillion per year, of which USD700 billion is earmarked for infrastructure. Even though 40% of world poor live in OIC countries earning the equivalent of USD1.25 a day or less, as of 2017, the world's 14 development banks including those of Asia and Africa have offered no more than USD175 billion to address the gap. Dr. Banda Hajjar, the IDB President, aptly described the available amount "represents only a drop in the sea compared to the size of this gap" (Moqana 2019).1 To meet the expectation of the SDG, the amount estimated is in the range of USD5-7 billion each year. The difficult task of achieving SDG calls for meaningful collaboration and mobilization of all key stakeholders - individual governments, multilateral agencies as well as private funding sectors (UNDP, IICPSD and IDB 2017). This will be met through high-level discussions, studies and researches, dialogues centred on the existing available infrastructure and capabilities, highlighting challenges that hinder progress and crafting realistic means and ways to address this critical gap