In the recent past, Islamic finance has made an impressive case on the banking scene by becoming an alternative to the popular conventional financial systems, spurring a lively academic debate on how the Islamic finance industry can expand its services to cover the poor. Several propositions have been aired which suggest that the Islamic finance industry should consider developing an efficient Shari‘a compliant microfinance model. This book brings together original contributions from leading authorities on the subject of Shari‘a Compliant Microfinance (Islamic Microfinance) to propose innovative solutions and models by carefully studying experiments conducted in various countries. Where critiques of the current microfinance concepts, methods, regulatory measures and practices have often revolved around its practice of charging very high interest, this book discusses the several models that draw on both theory and case studies to provide a sustainable Shari‘a compliant alternative. Arguing that while Islamic finance might have made a remarkable contribution in the financial markets, there remains a big question with regards to its social relevance, the book provides new perspectives and innovative solutions to issues facing the Islamic microfinance industry. A comprehensive reference book for anyone wanting to learn more about Shari‘a Compliant Microfinance, this book will also be of use to students and scholars of microfinance, Islamic finance, and to anyone interested in learning about ethical and socially responsible businesses.

The Handbook of Islamic Banking comprises 25 studies by leading international experts on Islamic banking and finance specially commissioned to analyse the various debates and the current state of play in the field. From its origins thirty years ago, Islamic banking has expanded rapidly to become a distinctive and fast growing segment of the international banking and capital markets. Despite this expansion, Islamic banking still remains poorly understood in many parts of the Muslim world and continues to be a mystery in much of the West. This comprehensive Handbook provides a succinct analysis of the workings of Islamic banking and finance, accessible to a wide range of readers. At the same time, it seeks to bring the current research agenda and the main issues on Islamic banking before a wider audience. Islamic banking offers, as an alternative to conventional interest-based financing methods, a wide variety of financial instruments and investment vehicles based on profit-and-loss sharing arrangements. These are all explored in detail along with other subjects such as governance and risk management, securities and investment, structured financing, accounting and regulation, economic development and globalization. M. Kabir Hassan, Mervyn Lewis and the other contributors have created an authoritative and original reference work, which will contribute to a wider understanding of Islamic banking as well as provoking further discussion and research. It will be invaluable to all scholars, researchers and policymakers with an interest in this subject.

Currently there is limited application of Islamic microfinance instruments in Brunei Darussalam in the business and banking industries. The main objective of the exploratory study on the potentiality of Islamic microfinancing in the handicraft industry is to encourage students pursuing the Master in Islamic Banking and Finance (MIBF) program to apply the Islamic finance to real life situations. This exploratory applied research has allowed students the opportunity to appreciate the potentialities of Islamic microfinance in assisting the development of microbusinesses especially in the rural areas in Brunei Darussalam.

Islamic microfinance is one of the most important sectors of Islamic social finance, which plays a very important role in curbing poverty and improving the standard of living, per capita income, employment level as well as achieving Maqasid al-Shariah, profitability and sustainability. This role of Islamic microfinance has become more crucial in the pandemic period. It has been clearly witnessed in developing countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, how Islamic microfinance institutions helped deprived and affected communities during the pandemic. Another important development during the pandemic was the introduction of blended models of Islamic microfinance such as waqf-based Islamic microfinance, a zakat-based model and the combination of Islamic commercial and social finance. Islamic microfinance institutions also aim to harness the power of digitalization and fintech, but they need to consider the necessary success factors to realize and gain the real benefits of technology. There are some major challenges related to regulations, management issues, lack of skilled human resources, a wide digital divide and low level of financial literacy in developing countries. These challenges need to be addressed to ensure stability, steady growth and sustainability in the sector. This book is a compendium on Islamic microfinance, including case studies from seven jurisdictions and prospects for the sector. The book will be a major contribution to the literature of Islamic economics and finance and a guide of equal importance for students, academics, institutions, regulators, fintechs, policy makers and the general public.

This book is a compilation of papers presented in a thematic workshop on business models in Islamic microfinance, organized by International Islamic University Islamabad, Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), and Agricultural Bank of Sudan. The objective of the workshop was to discuss specific Islamic microfinance business models and best practices, as well as the most advanced experiences at the international level.

Lack of credit access is severe in low income and poor families that are normally considered to have fewer opportunities to borrow from banks due to insufficient valuable assets for collateral. These low-income households face limited opportunity to acquire new technology and working capital for agricultural production and thus tend to fall behind. As a result, providing access to finance to low-income rural households has been considered an important component of any rural development strategy. Microfinance programmes, in particular, have been gradually embedded in national strategies of many developing countries as they are poverty-focused. They aim to facilitate the access to financial services such as credit for the poor who are usually disadvantaged in terms of access to conventional financial services from formal financial institutions. The objective of this book is to provide an overview of microfinance programmes in Asia focusing in particular on the determinants of the accessibility of rural households to microcredit. The book studies seven Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Bangladesh with two specific case studies.

Diploma Thesis from the year 2004 in the subject Economics - Finance, grade: 1,3, RWTH Aachen University (International technical and economical Cooperation), language: English, abstract: The literature discussing microfinance topics like sustainability, outreach and improvement of methods as well as the role of the governments in terms of interference, supervision and regulation is getting more differentiated and substantiated. Despite this increasing interest, one aspect of microfinance has been largely neglected both scientifically and in its application: Islamic Microfinance. In this paper I will discuss, if the principles of the Shari’ah (the Islamic law) are not somewhat compatible with the needs and obstacles of microfinance, where stewardship is to be shared and trust crucial. Further, I will discuss in detail if the prohibition of Riba is a serious, insolvable obstacle and if it is really more expensive for microfinance institutes to provide Muslims with financial services. By comparing traditional instruments of microfinance with new, transferred instruments borrowed from Islamic banking, I will try to explain – on the bases of the Islamic culture – why people are surprised about the neglect of Islamic Microfinance. The hypotheses are as follows • The implementation of Islamic financial products causes too high risks for microfinance institutes. The restriction of involving ‘risk’ in financial contracts for both parties by the Islam is binding. Therefore, market risks and moral hazards, make a save and steady return for the MFI not possible. • The higher efforts of Islamic Microfinance are too much for the already weak organisation structures of MFIs. MFIs have to avoid or at least decrease market risks and moral hazards. Thus, higher efforts need to be invested by the MFIs due to the increased dependency on the success of the pre-financed projects. • The complexity of Islamic financial products compared to convenient credit contracts leads to difficulties in both their explanation as well as their promotion in less educated areas.