Articles

29 Mar 21

Shariah Dynamics of SAFE Agreements

Summary: We believe that generic SAFE agreements have a level of Gharar (uncertainty) and ambiguity in terms of the treatment of the investment for Shariah compliance. A SAFE can be easily tweaked for Shariah compliance and should be tweaked to ensure Shariah compliance. The first major objection is ownership; a SAFE can potentially be developed […]
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08 Mar 21

Does Shariah Compliant Mean Ethical?

A debate regularly emerges on the issue of ethics and Shari’a compliance. Start-ups grapple with the issue and wonder whether to use both or either of them. Some argue that Shari’a compliance does not necessarily mean being ethical. This brief article shall endeavour to explain how Shari’a is inherently value-laden and that Shari’a compliance incorporates […]
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04 Mar 21

NFTs: Shariah Compliant?

What are NFTs?  One of latest hypes in the crypto-space is Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). NFTs are described as a special type of token that represents a unique asset. The term fungible means something that can be replaced by something similar. It is a type of token that can’t be replaced by another similar token as […]
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27 Feb 21

My Thoughts on Crypto-assets

by Mufti Faraz Adam, Amanah Advisors from the book “Introduction to Islamic Fintech” The Nature of Crypto-assets My personal view regarding crypto-assets is that many can be deemed digital assets, whilst some have the potential to be even recognised as a medium of exchange for their specific networks only. To deny the existence of crypto-assets […]
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22 Feb 21

Islamic Finance in One Principle

The Islamic Finance industry is a thriving US $3 trillion industry. It spans across several sectors such as banking, capital markets, insurance and investment funds. These sectors are regulated by several Shariah principles and Shariah standards. Generally, several principles are cited as the core framework which highlight key Shariah principles for Economics and Finance. However, […]
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24 Jan 21

The 5 Highs and 5 Lows of being a Shariah Advisor

Being a Shariah advisor can be a dream career for many; I mean, you are engaged daily in matters of Shariah, learning, teaching and promoting Islamic Finance. You are actively engaged in establishing social and economic welfare. You are part of the seismic shift from Riba to non-Riba. It is a noteworthy endeavour and status. […]
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03 Jan 21

The Obsession with Possession in Islamic Finance

In almost all contemporary Islamic Finance structures and products, a fair amount of attention is given to how assets are being possessed, transferred and how the associated risks are being allocated. Similarly, retail investments are vetted and screened to understand whether an investor has possession of the underlying asset. What’s the big deal and obsession […]
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27 Dec 20

The Life of a Transaction in Islamic Finance

I often describe the sale item or the subject matter of a contract as the ‘heart’ of a transaction; everything revolves around the sale item and it is central to a transaction. If the subject matter is the heart, the life of the transaction depends on it. If the sale item is destroyed, the transaction […]
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14 Dec 20

Making Sense of the 30% Rule in Islamic Finance

To determine the Shariah compliance of an equity investment, a company’s business and financials are screened. Investors commonly ask the nature and evidence behind the 30% and 5%. This article addresses the rationale and the history of the financial screening as well as raise some questions on the future of the screening criteria. The History […]
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