This book is the first of its kind to provide a critical overview and theoretical analysis of the Circular Economy from Shariah and Islamic Finance perspectives. The book is divided into three parts. The contributing authors pay close attention to Islamic Finance in light of sustainability and value creation. It also includes case studies on the Circular Economy application in Islamic Finance industry. The book is of interest to academics, students, and practitioners on Islamic Economics and Finance who have an interest in understanding the Circular Economy under the lens of Islamic Finance principles and applications.
The book is a collection of chapters discussing the Sustainable Development Goals in the broader context of Islamic finance along with mapping the SDGs with Maqasid Al-Shariah. It provides a framework for both Muslim and non-Muslim countries to develop a sustainable economy which encompasses not only the concept of the welfare state but also supports development-related activities, ensures financial inclusion through equal distribution of wealth and alleviation of poverty, and protects the overall environmental and ecological system. More specifically, this book explores various aspects of Islamic finance in relation to parameters of SDGs; restructuring of Islamic finance and connecting its dots in the light of SDGs; Islamic perspective on ESG and ecological quality; interest-free tools and modernization of Islamic financial institutions for sustainable development and economic stability; and the role of Islamic finance in infrastructure-related development activities. Consistent with the view that SDGs are embedded within the theme of Islamic finance, this book is specifically designed to meet the needs of key regulatory institutions, academic scholars, and industry practitioners both in the field of Islamic finance and sustainable finance.
The implementation of new technologies is expected to boost the development of Islamic Finance by increasing accessibility to banking and other financial services in Islamic communities and democratizing access to investment opportunities. At the same time, new technologies will increase financing opportunities and facilitate asset management for Sharia-compliant businesses. This collection of essays from selected experts in the field comprise some of the most topical issues on Islamic Fintech, combining a business focus with legal insights. The book takes as a point of departure the role that Islamic Fintech can play in promoting sustainability. The social vision of welfare improvement and justice is already embedded in Sharia’s economic rules, which makes Islamic Finance particularly well suited to bridge the gap between sustainability and funding. Although it is not without challenges for the industry, technology will help unleash its potential. With a holistic approach to Islamic Fintech, the contributing authors address the application of new technologies to Islamic Finance, including robo-advisory, crowdfunding and digital ledger technology (both in the issuance of bitcoin and the registration of securities in tokenized form) and in certain sectors such as takaful (takaful-tech) and health (e-health). Finally, they explore the challenges posed by anti-money laundering (‘AML’) in the specific realm of Islamic Fintech. The book combines theoretical analysis with a practical focus, both through case studies and directly through the experiences of leading entrepreneurs. In addition, it provides insights on legal and regulatory aspects, which are key in a field that is still in its infancy and needs support from lawmakers and regulators. It is, thus, a reference for academics, legal practitioners, policymakers, entrepreneurs and the Islamic Finance community.
Although Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing segments of emerging global financial markets, its concepts are not fully exploited especially in the areas of economic development, inclusion, access to finance, and public policy. This volume is to improve understanding of the perspective of Islamic finance on economic development, social and economic justice, human welfare, and economic growth.
Islamic finance distinguishes itself from conventional finance with its strong emphasis on the moral consequences of financial transactions; prohibiting interest, excessive uncertainty, and finance of harmful business. When it comes to risk mitigation, it is unique in its risk sharing approach.
With the impressive emergence of Islamic finance as a branch of Islamic economics, the need for a solid knowledge base that encompasses theories, thoughts and applications related to the subject increased in importance. However, writing about Islamic economics is a great challenge due to the differences in opinion on many of its issues. This includes methodologies for determining the Islamic perspective on economic concepts and issues as well as applicable solutions for today’s economic and social problems. It is further argued that Islamic economics topics are not as clear as those in conventional economics as they have their own religious, spiritual and social dimensions. The points of controversy have generated lengthy discussions. Moreover, Islamic economics encompasses a vast array of topics and approaches, from the purely theoretical, which may include philosophy or religious ideas, to mathematical and quantitative analyses. We tried our best throughout this textbook to simplify, clarify and summarise these concepts to make them accessible to all readers including students, practitioners, academics and even interested non-specialists. This textbook presents, discusses and analyses various topics and issues related to Islamic economics ranging from philosophical, epistemological and methodological to microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives. In this endeavour, the social aspect of Islamic economics—an essential part of the discipline—is not neglected. The textbook compares Islamic ideas and concepts related to economics with those in conventional economics to highlight Islamic economics as a distinct field of knowledge with an emphasis on the ethical and social aspects. The authors have tried their level best to explain the theoretical concepts as simply as possible without ignoring today’s realities and without compromising Sharīʿah principles and objectives. One of the main objectives of the book is to provide the reader with Islamic economic ideas and solutions that are realistic and applicable within the current highly globalised economic and business environment, which is largely dominated by conventional interest-based systems and institutions. Despite being written for an elementary-level audience, this textbook can also be beneficial to a wide range of specialist and non-specialist readers and seekers of knowledge. For those specialising in Islamic economics, it is an appropriate source of reference to gain an overview on different topics relating to the foundations of Islamic economics. At this point, however, it must be mentioned that each topic deliberated upon, by its nature, would require a book on its own to cover all its aspects. Therefore, further exploration is required for Islamic economics specialists. A list of references and recommended readings is provided for that purpose at the end of each chapter. On the other hand, students of mainstream economics, finance and other academic majors will find this textbook an excellent resource for comprehensive knowledge of Islamic economics and its related issues. Universities may benefit from the different topics presented in this textbook in designing or preparing their economics courses at different levels based on their own curriculums and classes. This textbook could be used at the undergraduate level or even for a master’s level economics or Islamic economics course, especially in an Islamic banking and finance programme or for an MBA having a specialisation in Islamic banking and finance where an economics or Islamic economics course is offered. Furthermore, practitioners and interested readers who are seeking essential and simple knowledge about Islamic economics will also find this textbook to be a helpful guide. It is important to mention here that Islamic economics literature shows wide differences among the scholars in almost every subtopic. Presenting all opinions within a limited number of pages is almost impossible. However, with the great contribution of more than 60 scholars from a wide span of countries and from various economic schools, this book represents an important attempt to present the topics and issues from various perspectives with the maximum objectivity possible. Through comprehensive content editing, the editors have striven to improve the flow of arguments, remove inconsistencies and put the ideas together in as coherent a manner as possible. However, the editors acknowledge that some biases and overlaps may still persist.
During the first decade of the 21st century, the world has witnessed a plethora of corporate scandals, global economic crises, and rising environmental concerns. As a result of these developments, pressure has been mounting on businesses to pay more attention to the environmental and resource consequences of the products they produce and services they deliver. The Handbook of Research on Creating Sustainable Value in the Global Economy contains a collection of pioneering research on the integration of issues of sustainability within the traditional areas of management. While highlighting topics including green marketing, circular economy, and sustainable business, this book is ideally designed for managers, executives, environmentalists, economists, business professionals, researchers, academicians, and students in disciplines including marketing, economics, finance, operations management, communication science, and information technology.
Natural resources, and the materials derived from them, represent the physical basis for the economic system. Recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented growth in demand for these resources, which has triggered interest from policy makers in transitioning to a more resource efficient and ...
This report provides a cross-country review of waste, materials management and circular economy policies in selected OECD countries, drawing on OECD’s Environmental Performance Reviews during the period 2010-17. It presents the main achievements in the countries reviewed, along with common ...
The impact of COVID-19 has exposed major cracks in the global financial system and has severely undermined global financial stability. Never have the shortcomings of universal financialization - the dominant principle of the global financial system for the past thirty-odd years - been more obvious or more painful. Islamic finance provides ways forward: based on commercial and social modes of risk-sharing and financing, it offers radical structural solutions to the health, human and financial crises faced in this unprecedented time. In Towards a Post-Covid Global Financial System: Lessons in Social Responsibility from Islamic Finance, an international team of experts explore how COVID-19 has affected the most vulnerable parts of the global economy; how it has been met by Islamic banking and finance specifically; and how the principles of Islamic social finance could be used to have a fairer, more resilient Islamic finance system for all.
