Islamic banking

In recent years the rise of Islamic banking has been one of the most important trends in the economic sphere, with an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, this arena has plenty of room for expansion. Conforming to Shariah (Islamic Law) puts a huge demand among Muslims looking for financial products and services that adhere to their beliefs. If it weren’t for the creation of such alter-natives to conventional banking and finance, Muslims would find it hard to participate in our globalized world without violating their religious principles. There are currently over 300 financial Institutions across the global sphere providing some type of Islamic financial product. According to some experts, the assets that are currently being managed under Shariah law, which range from investment to commercial banks and investment funds, are estimated to be no less than 300 billion. Other experts in the industry estimate the assets under mana-gement to be much larger. The FSA (Financial Services Authority), a regulator for financial services based out of London, estimates the total amount associated with Shariah banking to be as much as 500 billion. Even the U.S rating agency, S & P, estimates the sukuk (deed) market has reached over 75 billion and will likely be over 150 billion by the end of the decade. It used to be that Islamic fi-nancial products were more of a niche market but over time they are now considered mainstream, with many well-known interna-tional financial institutions battling to get a little piece of the pie.