Islamic Banks Impaired Financing： Relationship Between Shariah Committee Meetings Frequency and Shariah Risks Compliance on Assets Quality

This study made a pioneering attempt to econometrically examine what factors determining impaired financing using shariah committee meetings frequency from data on Islamic banks in Malaysia and how does it affects on the quality of assets. The objective of the study is to improve assessment of their assets quality so as to increase the reliability of the financial statements. The European Central Bank may find the findings from this study useful in their exercise to assess risks and assets quality of their commercial banks, a move to tackle the ailing banks in centralizing oversight supervision in late 2014. The major components of the Islamic banks＇ assets quality are impaired financing and provisions for financing impairment. In the Islamic banks, shariah committee principally manages the shariah risks non-compliance with other risks; however because their management is not straightforward, the study uses the shariah committee meetings frequency as an indicator of the assets quality. The study found the less-than-full frequency of shariah committee meetings resulted in less guidance and conformation of shariah principles, and consequentially the quality of the assets.

Organizational Form and Expense-Preference Behavior： Evidence From Islamic Banks

This paper examines the organizational forms of Islamic banks, corporate governance mechanism, and their effects on organizational behavior, specifically related to managerial expense preferences. The paper opted for an ordinary least square （OLS） cluster regression and followed by a stochastic frontier approach test as a robustness test. Findings of this study indicate that organizational forms of Islamic banks influence managerial expense preferences. A stochastic frontier approach test supports the initial findings and reveals that the average noninterest cost inefficiency of Islamic banks without Shari＇ah Boards is 23% compared to commercial banks. Islamic banks with Shari＇ah Boards are, on average, 28% less noninterest cost inefficient compared to Islamic banks without Shari＇ah Boards, and are on average, 16% less noninterest cost inefficient compared to commercial banks. Shari＇ah Supervisory Boards＇ positive implications for Islamic banks are independent of the expectations of the governing structure or ownership. Specifically when looking at Islamic banks with Shari＇ah Supervisory Boards, managerial propensity to engage in self-serving behavior is reduced. This paper fulfils an identified need to understand how the distinct nature of Islamic banks organizational forms and governance impact managerial behaviour.

Systemic Risk of Conventional and Islamic Banks: Comparison with Graphical Network Models

The main aim of this paper is to compare the stability, in terms of systemic risk, of conventional and Islamic banking systems. To this aim, we propose correlation network models for stock market returns based on graphical Gaussian distributions, which allows us to capture the contagion effects that move along countries. We also consider Bayesian graphical models, to account for model uncertainty in the measurement of financial systems interconnectedness. Our proposed model is applied to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region banking sector, characterized by the presence of both conventional and Islamic banks, for the period from 2007 to the beginning of 2014. Our empirical findings show that there are differences in the systemic risk and stability of the two banking systems during crisis times. In addition, the differences are subject to country specific effects that are amplified during crisis period.

Neoteric Performance Challenges for Islamic Banks： An Elucidation

This paper aims to examine the challenges posed to the global banking environment with the advent of phenomenal growth in Islamic banking and the changing macroeconomic environment. The paper reviews different approaches to analyze the banking sector performance and the success or failure thereof. The paper also identifies the main factors affecting banking sector performance and their relative impact on the overall stability and resilience of banks. The approach of this paper is more judiciously diagnostic and synthesizing in nature. The paper covers significant studies undertaken in banking sector and synthesizes the nature of elements used to predict the predilection status of Islamic and conventional commercial banks. The findings suggest that return on equity （ROE） and weighted capital adequacy ratio （WCAR） are the most important bank-specific factors that may be used to analyze bank＇s performance. The findings also suggest that not only bank-specific but macroeconomic factors also play an important role in determining a bank＇s performance in an economy, though the effect is usually widespread. Amongst macroeconomic factors, GDP growth rate, inflation, and real interest rate are most common factors affecting bank performance. This research is different from other researches as it takes into consideration the methodological, aeon and acclimatization perspective. Most researches do not see Islamic banking as a challenge to conventional commercial banking and the banking sector in general. The paper not only reviews Islamic banking as a major element of change in the overall banking environment but also as a potential intimidator to the conventional banking stream.

Malmquist indices of productivity growth for Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia

This paper studies the total factor productivity （TFP） of banks in Malaysia with the emphasis on comparing the relative productivities of Islamic and Conventional banks. The Malmquist index approach is used to decompose productivity growth into technical efficiency and technological change. The productivity growth is measured and decomposed into technical change and efficiency change. The efficiency change is further decomposed into pure efficiency change and scale efficiency. It is found that Islamic banks＇ productivity growth is limited by its lack of technological change compared to its conventional counterparts. Nonetheless, both types of banks are operating at the correct level in terms of scale or size.

Assessing Financial Performance of Malaysian Islamic and Conventional Commercial Banks Using Financial Ratios

A rapid growth of Islamic banking has led the Malaysian economy to gaining greater prosperity than before. Presently, there are more than 20 Islamic banks operating in Malaysia. Financial ratios calculated from the categories of liquidity, profitability, risk and solvency, and efficiency of banks can be used to gauge the overall financial performance of the banking industry. The objective is to assess the overall performance of Islamic banks as well as conventional banks in Malaysia using financial ratios. The findings indicated that conventional commercial banks in Malaysia do have better quality assets, are more liquid, and are more profitable than Islamic banks. Total expenses in conventional banks are much higher, which may affect profitability and the significant amount of non-performing loans （NPLs）, thus increasing solvency risk. The findings show positive insights of Islamic banks, whose confidence and trust are rising, over a short period with strong improvements in asset utilization, effective management, and expenditure control. This comparative study clearly identified that conventional banks are better financial performers compared to Islamic banks in Malaysia during the period of 2006-2010.

The Impact of the External Audit Quality on the Financial Performance of Conventional and Islamic Banks

The continuing emergence of sudden financial crises and the bankruptcy of Big banks audited by the‘Big Four’auditors confirms that the external audit quality(EAQ)always remains insufficient compared to the desired quality.The quality weakness is due either to the bad audit company choice,although their sizes,or to the disrespect of the good audit rules.Because there is a lack of comparative studies in the framework of conventional and Islamic banks,this paper aims to compare the impact of EAQ on the financial performance(FP)of 180 conventional banks and 180 Islamic banks.FP and EAQ variables are collected from 56 countries over the period(2010-2020).To overcome the mystery of the best EAQ selection based on its impact on FP,this paper relied on the GLS estimator.Consequently,this paper concluded that the EAQ affected the conventional banks’FP,but it improved that of Islamic banks with a moderate impact.

Are Islamic incomes relevance to commercial banks in Malaysia？

A significant price-to-earnings relation is evident in many research findings, which includes study on Malaysia Stock Markets, that the strength, consistency and magnitude of the relation are not as large as those reported in institutionally more developed markets. However, the price adjustment is stronger if price reaction is measured over a long periods, which is consistent to speculative trading. Firm-specific variables such as revenue, firm size and debt-equity have no incremental information content beyond earnings implies that the market monitoring process in an emerging market focuses on earnings only during financial announcement. Therefore, this paper revisited the study on the relevant of accounting banks in Malaysia using the earnings response coefficients, earnings by looking at Islamic Income for commercial which are the earnings-to-share return coefficients that are estimated for sub earnings components by including Islamic banking incomes in the analysis. This paper discovered that though there is a positive effect, the earnings from Islamic banking operation are small. Thus, the total earnings as well as the sub-categories of earnings of banks appear to enter the pricing considerations of investors.

Islamic Finance in Theory and Practice

Perspectives of the early scholars of Islamic management of an account concurred that the arrangement of organization partnership in general and Murabah （benefit sharing） specifically is the fundamental technique on which Islamic banks must depend on contributing their money to related assets. Also, the research has found that financing under the Islamic management of an account has decreased intensely from the methodology created by the early scholars. In reality, these banks have received obligation based on financing techniques and underestimated the routines for financing taking into account benefit and loss sharing. This adjustment in financing technique has perversely influenced the bad name and the desire tied with the monetary part of these banks. The study focused on the reason behind the gap between theory and practice in Islamic finance. So, the study was divided in two parts： the first theoretical part of Islamic economy and Islamic banking system, the second practical part by analysing and evaluating the relative distribution of Islamic financing methods in four famous Islamic banks. The study selected a group of Asian Islamic banks as a model for analysis and evaluation through the period from 2012 to 2014. The study concluded that the gaps result from the misuse of the roles and norms of Maqasid Al-Shariah along with the diversion in the relatively allocation of the financing methods toward debt instruments rather than equity instnunents.

The Impact of Social Professional Category Consumer＇s on Acceptance Level Towards Islamic Banking Window

Recently, Islamic banks have been presented as an alternative to conventional banks. Indeed, Islamic banks have proved their worth during the 2009 crisis. They are known like an ethical bank. In Tunisia, only three Islamic banks exist. Even the conventional banks are interested to offer Islamic banking products and services; they are called Islamic banking window. This paper aims to determine the level of acceptance of Islamic banking window on Tunisian consumers and the impact of the social professional category on it. The research questions as follows： Are the consumers familiar with the financial Islamic products？ Did they perceive any differences between conventional and Islamic financial products？ What are the levels of acceptance of an Islamic banking product offered by a conventional bank？ In this respect, a questionnaire was administrated to a sample size of 120 people constituted of 54% men and 46% women from Tunis City. Three types of social professional category are found： 62% employee, 32% senior, and 6% profession. The data were processed by SPSS 21. The results showed that the majority of the respondents have a lack of knowledge of the Islamic banking products. The majority of the respondents don＇t see any differences between the product name of conventional and Islamic banking products. The acceptance level of an Islamic banking product offered by a conventional bank is very satisfying, 53% of the respondents are certain to purchase an Islamic banking product from a conventional bank and 42% are not sure. Only 5% refused.

Islamic Financing of the Small Projects Palestinian Case

This study aims to expose the available finance by both traditional and Islamic banks in Palestine, determine and identify the most used Islamic tools of finance for the Palestinian economy through small enterprises, in addition, the study aims to assess if there is any contribution of the Islamic banks to the Palestinian economy. In order to reach these goals the researcher used the descriptive analysis method in order to illustrate credit facilities through the Palestinian Banking system, then, enclosing the Islamic banks in Palestine and its credit facilities and used tools. The study identified through the recent experiences of Palestinian Islamic financing and Islamic financing mechanisms practiced in Palestinian Islamic banks, murabaha, ijarah, Musharaka, and mudaraba occupied the same important level as in the neighboring countries. The study found that frequent constraints, Israeli hindrances, and heavy restrictions on goods movement, services and people through internal and international crossings increase the suffering of the small projects, as well as other productive economic sectors at all levels, administrative, financial, and technical, with no Palestinian strategy to enhance the contributing share of small projects to the Palestinian national economy. In addition, the study concluded that the inability of traditional banks to provide the required finance to the Palestinian productive sectors led to Islamic banks entering into the financing market in Palestine to open new funding sources for Palestinian small projects, so the small projects could raise their contribution to GDP. The new Palestinian Islamic financing experience is unable to create financing mechanisms suitable to the Palestinian situation, which has sign for Islamic banks to deal with cases similar to the traditional finance, this comes in the absence of a strategy by Islamic banking or monetary authority or the Palestinian government to activate the role of Islamic banks in financing small projects. For these problems, there must be a strategy to support the activities of these projects and provide appropriate funding for small projects to transcend all these constraints, to support small-sized enterprises in Palestine financially and technically. In this study, the researchers expose the available funding and financing by both Islamic and traditional banks. The study recommends that a comprehensive strategy needs to bring together all financing bodies to have joined efforts towards the formulation of a funding strategy for small projects. Both conventional and Islamic banks are required to provide various types of supports specifically financing for small projects, to enable small projects to play their role in enhancing the national economy. The study also urged the need of Islamic banking to broaden the base of Islamic banking to create a financing base appropriate with the nature of the projects.

Equation Discovery for Financial Forcasting in Context of Islamic Banking

This paper describes an equation discovery approach based on machine learning using LAGRAMGE as an equation discovery tool, with two sources of input, a dataset and model presented in context-free grammar. The approach is searching a large range of po- tential equations by a specific inodel. The parameters of the equation are fitted to find the best equations. The experiments are illustratedwith commodity prices from the London Metal Exchange for the period of January-October 2009. The outputs of the experiments are a large mumber of equations; some of the equations display that the predicted prices are following the market trends in perfect patterns.

The Future Prospect for the Evolution of Islamic Banking in Turkey

In Turkey, banks having ＂Islamic＂ features that are long neglected have experienced strong business growth since 2003 that is just after the date of a moderate Islamic party which emerged victorious in parliamentary elections. While Turkey has only four ＂Islamic＂ banks, they capture more than 4% market share. The purpose of this research is to analyze the mechanisms that have allowed such a growth between 2002 （just after the financial crisis in 2001） and 2009, by comparing the results of activities of these four Islamic banks and find out possible opportunities that might exist in this sector. The results indicate that these institutions have a respectively higher risk-taking and internationally more fair open policy than the banks known as ＂conventional＂. While Bank Asya （the market leader of the participatory banks in Turkey） and Albaraka Turk capture the individual customers, the other two institutions that are TurkiyeFinans and Kuveyt Turk capture the commercial customers. In addition, the development of these institutions seems to be very difficult because of the lack of Turkish Sukuk in Turkish banking context having no adequate liquidity. Moreover, in its political context, leading actors in Turkish political and economic structure reject utterly the existence of Sharia Board. In fact, it is clear that the Turkish banking sector is an untapped potential market that could be easily converted into an opportunity by improving the regulatory framework and communication strategy for these institutions. Indeed, since the controversy still exists around the concept of secularism, which is an impediment to the development of these banks called ＂Islamic＂ in Turkey, there is a necessity for a communication strategy to break down prejudices and to become popular for Islamic finance sector, which is still known very poorly and superficially by general public in Turkey.

Bankers＇ Views Towards Islamic Banking and Islamic Marketing： The Case of Libyan Main Wahda Bank in Benghazi City

The research topic of this paper is about the transformation process of Libyan Main Wahda Bank to Islamic Banking, and how Islamic Marketing has been practiced in this bank. The study aims to investigate bankers＇ views towards Islamic Banking and Islamic Marketing practices in Benghazi City. Few interviews with bankers were conducted to design the research instrument, which validated and circulated to bankers responsible for Islamic Banking affairs at Wahda Bank. Data were collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences （SPSS）. Tests of normality mean scores, T-test, Anova, Correlations and Reliability Analysis were all used in this research paper. The key finding is that there is a consensus among participants that the bank faces numerous challenges including： cultural obstacles, insufficient regulations, increasing environmental challenges, weaknesses of higher authorities responsible for banking affairs, weakness of technology, and poor administrative performances. The study exhibited low level of customer satisfaction on Islamic banking products marketed. The study urges the need to develop a governmental Islamic banking strategy to focus on spreading Islamic Banking and Islamic Marketing culture. Learning from leading Islamic countries＇ experiences would be a critical future step to develop Libyan banks＇ practices. It also advises reconsidering the current banking legislations, and explaining their implications properly. Islamic Marketing and customer satisfaction measurement should be given a priority in bank＇s future strategies. Finally, the paper concludes with research limitations, implications and suggests future research.

Islamic Banking and Economic Growth： Evidence From Asia

This paper investigates the short- and long-run causality relationship between Islamic banking and the economic growth. The main goal of this paper is to examine the relationship between the economic growth and Islamic banking. The dataset used covers the Asia countries over the period of 1980-2009. The unit root test Im, Pesaran, and Shin （IPS） （2003） confirms that all of the variables that the authors use in the equation below are stationary. The empirical result of the Granger causality test shows a bidirectional relationship between Islamic banking and the economic growth and also a bidirectional relationship between the economic growth and export.

The Reconcilability Between Islamic and the Conventional Banking

Tensions between Western and Islamic traditions are very fierce in evidence currently. Many see the two systems as irreconcilable and the conflict between the two as inevitable （Huntingdon ＆ Berger, 2002）. This paper argues if reconcilability between Islam and the West exists in the field of finance and if the two systems can co-evolve in a mutually productive way, then, the author can be optimistic about the ability of the two systems to co-exist. Clearly, they involve different attitudes, but this paper argues on the basis of significant compatibility issues that these are resolvable under the tradition of tolerance that has existed in Western and Islamic societies. The context chosen for this analysis is finance which is central to global capitalism and is an area in which key differences of principle and practice exist between Islam and the West.

Islamic Banking System and Mode of Leasing： A Comparative Analysis in the Light of Maqasid al-Shari＇ah

This article discusses Islamic Banking System and its mode of leasing in the light of the objectives of Shari＇ah. It explores that the objectives behind the introduction of Islamic finance and banking system were the elimination of capitalist banking interest, exploitation of poor segment of the society and the establishment of an economic system which may lead to sustain a balance economic order and social justice. In this context, it intends to analyze the mode of leasing provided by Islamic Banking system in the light of the objectives of Shari＇ah and discloses that although Islamic Banking system is based on the principle of mudarbah, musharkah and Ijarah and deals with the customers in that context, yet apparently, the effects of these transactions are not much different from capitalist modes due to same consequences and effects of these transactions. It thus, provides a comparative analysis of the issue, i.e., mode of leasing at both Islamic and capitalist Banks. It argues that a common man can not avail Islamic financing/leasing if he lacks financial resources. If a poor person tries to purchase something by way of ijarah through Islamic Banking finance, he does not find any difference in the payment of the total cost between capitalist mode of leasing and Islamic mode of ijarah. Hence, this article concludes that although Islamic financing achieved a remarkable development among the Muslims, yet there is a need to revise the policy and system of Islamic financing in the light of the objectives of Shari＇ah. It also concludes that the mode of leasing provided at Islamic Banks does not accomplish the objectives of its establishment which is public interest. At present, this system is unable to assist the poor segment of the society or to provide ease to them.

Islamic Financial Development and Cooperation Among Member States in CICA

There are 26 member states in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia(CICA),including Asian countries and some African countries.CICA has developed the regional and cooperation mechanism with the largest coverage,the largest number of members and the widest representation.The vast majority of member states are countries along the Belt and Road Initiative(B&R),and many countries use Islamic finance in CICA’s own financial system or are interested in cooperating with Islamic finance.For political and economic reasons,Islamic Banks development in CICA member states is imbalanced.Sukuk(Islamic Bonds)development in CICA member states is mainly sovereign Sukuk.The share of Islamic Funds assets in CICA member states is very low.The tak
aful sector in Iran is comparatively developed in CICA member states.Islamic Financial development and cooperation in CICA member states is mainly concentrated in Islamic countries.However,it has expanded to Non-Islamic Countries.In the future,Islamic finance development and cooperation will play an active role in the construction of the B&R.