The “UK Islamic Finance Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact and Forecasts (2022 – 2027)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
The pandemic has provided another opportunity for Islamic finance to prove its potential and shine. The Islamic financial system is based on the principles of risk-sharing, ethics and morality, which equip it to act as a potential warrior to safeguard the interest of the poor and vulnerable under crisis.
Islamic Finance has developed rapidly in the United Kingdom during the past decade (2011- 2021) and the government has been very supportive of its development and promotion. The United Kingdom hosted the first stand alone Islamic financial Institution in European Union and has the highest value of Sharia-Compliant assets of any non-muslim country.
The success of the government’s initiative to develop Islamic finance in the UK was shown in 2021 when the government issued its second sovereign sukuk of £500 million, which was sold to institutional investors in the UK, the Middle East and Asia.
Islamic finance will continue to expand in the next decade across regions and asset classes. From a market of just $200bn in 2003, the Islamic Finance sector is expected to grow to over $4 trillion in assets by 2030.
Five years ago, Western economies experienced a surge in fintech start-ups offering more effective and efficient services through the creative application of software. Consequently, traditional finance institutions are now competing with challenger brands and neobanks to appeal to consumers, investors, and businesses.
In the UK, fintech challenger brands like Monzo and Revolut have become part of the banking landscape. Established banks like JPMorgan have responded by launching their own challenger brands to rival the new competition.
The scale and pace of digital disruption led by startups initially focused on the delivery of traditional financial services. The success of this first fintech wave has encouraged a new generation of start-ups, which are applying technology to deliver products and services designed specifically for certain demographics.
The creation of tech-enabled Sharia-compliant banks is on the rise in both Western and Islamic jurisdictions. Particularly in regions like Central Asia where countries are undergoing economic modernisation, fintech companies are playing an important role in giving consumers and investors the digital tools needed to effectively manage their finances. As more investment is directed into these Islamic fintech companies we are likely to see the sector grow.
Take Sukuk (an Islamic financial bond that effectively acts as a trust certificate) as an example. Sukuk supply has been rising in both Islamic and non-Islamic markets. Most Sukuk issuances are hybrid, with debt making up no less than 30 per cent.
According to Fitch, the global amount of outstanding Sukuk reached $754.1bn in Q2 2021, which is 5 per cent higher than the same figure recorded in Q1. As the first western nation to issue a sovereign Sukuk, the UK has raised more than $50bn through 68 Sukuk issuances on the London Stock Exchange.
While there is general awareness of Islamic finance, actual knowledge of its basic principles is not typically high among financial professionals based in non-Muslim jurisdictions. This is an issue that has been raised on numerous occasions in the UK.
There have been attempts by the government to make the financial environment more religiously inclusive in the UK, yet the overall lack of available Sharia-compliant products has been a topic of recent debate. There are calls for the introduction of Sharia-compliant student loans by September 2022, enabling more students to access university education in the UK.
Moves to make the UK’s financial system inclusive and diverse will remain a top objective in 2022 and beyond. Part of this is due to the growing customer base. In the UK, there is estimated to be more than 100,000 Islamic finance retail customers. Government also puts the value of net assets of Islamic funds in the UK to £600m, with this figure set to rise in the ensuing years.— Businesswire
