Wednesday, 14 August 2013

ROLES OF ISLAMIC BANKS AS FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The roles of Islamic banks include but are not limited to the following:

1.      It reduces the dichotomy between financing and the use of funds leading to integration of real and financial sectors of the economy.
2.      The direct linkage between financing and application of funds under Islamic banking means an end to untied cash as found in interest based economies. Thus an important cause of the mismatch between aggregate demand and supply in the economy will be removed.





3.      Better business ethics – banks will only entertain economically viable financing requests
4.      Instead of being lenders, Islamic banks will provide financing by coming in as traders (murabaha), lessors (Ijara) or partners (mudaraba; musharaka)
5.      Islamic banks will stay away from financing prohibited activities e.g. producing alcohol etc.
6.      There will be greater transparency in their transactions with clients – depositors as well as fund-seekers- due to compliance with the avoidance of gharar (ambiguity) resulting in clear contracts for every transaction
7.      Greater economic stability – it is well known in traditional finance literature that interest based debt finance is an important source of economic instability when compared with equity finance
8.      It reduces poverty by SME financing, rural and agricultural operational expansion and introducing corporate and individual ZAKAT accounts for social welfare and less social inequality.
9.      Providing Islamic financing facilities including loans to businesses that are ethical, moral and beneficial to society causing speculative businesses to starve from financial point of view.
10.  Collection of savings and remittances using Islamic modes of finance and channeling them to profitable and secure businesses, helping in resource allocation of country.

11.  To reduce the rocketing inflation through less artificial money creation and less funding of speculative businesses.

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