Digital banking the Sharia compliant way
Introduction
Islamic banks are able to offer their customers financial services that are compliant with the principles of Islamic finance. Digital banking enables banking systems to be personalised, informative, and efficient. Users are able to quickly access information that is relevant to their account and spending habits. It can take seconds to access your account and your credit and debit balance.
Personalising services via digital banking means customers are more aware of their financial dealings and more able to control their financial habits.
Islamically, knowing exactly how much money you have in your account means you are less likely to overspend, or get into debt. Where in the past customers would have had to attend a bank or a cash machine to find out their account balance, now with digital banking the enquiry can be made at any time and anywhere from a mobile phone.
WHAT IS DIGITAL BANKING?
Digital banking is when a bank or financial institution offers its customers financial services via digital platforms. Customers are now able to access information via their mobile, desktop, accessing their bank's website, and using various apps.
One of the aims of digital banking is to offer a seamless service to people and also to ensure there is financial inclusion when it comes to managing money. Banks want to operate in a more efficient way and make banking more accessible to their clients.
For the bank, it means that they have fewer operational costs as they can rely on digital platforms to offer their services and products.
Digital banking is used widely across the globe, and it means that communities that formerly may not have been served by banking sectors now have more access to basic financial services. Digital banking relies heavily on technology and the technological advancements that have taken place over the last few decades.
Benefits Of Digital Banking
There are many advantages of using digital banking, they include the following:
- greater efficiency
- more seamless service
- enhanced customer experience
- increased transparency
- intuitive platforms
- ease access to information
- no need to attend banks in person
Types Of Digital Banking
- Business to consumer services
- Crowdfunding
- Zakat payments
- Micro-financing
- Interest free loans
- Family banking
- Social banking
- Collections of payment
Islamic Finance And Banking
As digital connectivity and technology continues to grow, the demand for digital services is increasing. At the same time, the Islamic banking industry is also growing and working hard to keep up with digital innovations.
With both industries growing at pace simultaneously, Muslim consumer needs have driven the need for digital solutions within the Islamic banking sphere.
Muslims represent almost 25% of the population of the world and Islam is the fastest growing religion. This means there is already a large demand for digital Islamic services. In addition, the Muslim population has a strong youth demographic who are tech savvy, educated, and aware of how they want to manage their money.
This demographic is also keen to have increased information and transparency when it comes to banking services.
The Islamic economy has moved hand in hand with halal infrastructure. This is definitely the case when it comes to Islamic finance and the banking infrastructure to support it.
There is an increased focus on ensuring that payments and financial transactions are interest free and free from speculation and other haram activities.
Muslim consumers are digitally aware and connected. They are also educated on the principles of Sharia law which deem transactions halal or haram. Their Muslim identity is an important part of the lifestyle and the choices they make.
It is not only Muslim countries that are developing their Islamic finance infrastructure. The Islamic finance industry is thriving in the UK, the US and the rest of Europe. One example is the Port of Rotterdam which has created what is known as a halal distribution park to cater to European Muslims.
Let's examine the fundamental principles of Islamic finance:
- No interest
- No ambiguous terms or uncertainty
- Purification: a requirement that banks ensure money generated is Sharia compliant and separate from non compliant income
- Ethical and socially responsible transactions and investments
- Asset backed systems: not seeing money as a tradable commodity but linking it to real economic activity and assets.
Ethics And Islamic Banking
With the ongoing recession and global financial crisis, there is also an increasing and growing demand for more ethical and socially responsible banking options and services.
Islamic finance services, together with Islamic digital banking services, are well positioned to offer ethical practices and options for consumers. Islamic finance is centred on ethics and offering an alternative system that strengthens real economy sectors.
What Islamic finance also requires is increased due diligence and transparency. In order to be Sharia compliant banking services must comply with the rules of Islam and must be vetted for compliance.
Digital Islamic Economy
The digital Islamic economy is a fast growing industry. The rise of Islamic lifestyle magazines and online platforms means there is a demand for Islamic content and services. For example, the modest fashion industry has become a big player in the fashion sector and has seen incredible growth online.
With over 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, the digital services landscape has the potential to grow and accelerate fast. With it comes an emerging digital Islamic economy that is focused on the consumer needs of Muslims.
Commercially and digitally, Islamic finance is one of the most attractive vertical sectors. However, it's success will need to ensure compliance with Islamic finance principles and Sharia rules.
In terms of the future and the potential of Sharia compliant digital banking, the opportunities are limitless.
There is support from individuals, companies and investors for further development of digital banking services. One of the challenges for digital banking will be to ensure that any product or service that markets itself as compliant will require additional and ongoing due diligence.
Whilst application software (app) programmes will continue to be developed to facilitate compliant investment, saving and money management options.
Digital banking platform Algbra did a survey and found that out of the 1.6 billion unbanked adults in the world, 800 million are Muslims. This is an alarming figure, but it is hoped that digital banking will be more inclusive than conventional banking methods.
Whether it comes to loans, savings, personal or business accounts, or investment, digital banking will ensure more marginalised groups are able to partake.
Developing a robust digital banking service should be a high priority for Islamic banks. In turn, this will lead to enhanced Sharia compliant tools and services.
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The success of your business depends on you maintaining a healthy cashflow. You want to have money available in order to pay your bills and your staff on a weekly or monthly basis, along with having capacity for growth.
It doesn't matter how great your product or your marketing might be. The foundation of success for businesses, and the reason why some don't make it, is cashflow. The moment you don't have the money in the bank to pay your staff, suppliers or tax bills, you could be in big trouble. Cashflow planning helps you to see this coming, giving you time to take action.
Cashflow planning is essential
It's much more comfortable when you have consistent, positive cashflow. There are no moments of panic when you fret over how you'll pay a particular commitment. You have more time to plan ahead, to have an eye on the future rather than worrying about today.
Consistent, positive cashflow doesn't just happen. Being profitable doesn't guarantee that your business will always have the cash to meet your commitments. Income from sales doesn't always flow in fast enough to cover payments you need to make. Achieving a steady cashflow requires planning. It starts by making a cashflow forecast.
Prepare a cashflow forecast
A cashflow forecast is a plan of the money your business expects to receive and to pay out in the near future. It helps you to predict how much money will be in your bank account at any point in time. A cashflow forecast is usually broken down into months or weeks to make it easier to plan.
To construct your cashflow forecast you'll want to use a spreadsheet or a cashflow planning tool. Your accounting system can provide useful information about your past cashflow but it's not so helpful for predicting the future, because it's based on transactions that have already occurred.The benefits of preparing and maintaining a cashflow forecast include:
- You have better control over your business finances.
- It helps you to make realistic decisions about spending.
- You can plan for the future more easily.
Your cashflow forecast is just that - a forecast. The reality will turn out differently, although a well-prepared forecast won't be that far off what actually happens.
Use a forecast to make better business growth decisions
Growing a successful business requires you to make choices. If your business model is sound it's likely your business will expand naturally, at least in its early days. However, it won't be too long before the rate of growth levels off, as you've satisfied the initial levels of demand. Maintaining growth, or restarting it, requires decisions and actions that will bring in more customers and extend your opportunities to earn more revenue.
Your cashflow forecast will help you to assess the impact of these decisions. It allows you to model what's likely to happen in the future, as you incur more costs with the objective of growing sales.The forecast will help you determine the costs and benefits of actions such as:
- Launching a new marketing campaign.
- Taking on a new member of staff.
- Selling a new product.
- Purchasing new equipment.
- Expanding into a new geographical area.
- Raising additional working capital.
Forecasting requires making some estimates about likely future income based on your choices.
How to build a cashflow forecast
Whatever tool you use to build your forecast, it will have three basic sections. These are:
- Incoming cash
- Outgoing cash
- The net balance
Step 1 - Incoming cash
This section is a list of your different sources of income. Depending on how you sell, you may want to break this down into different categories based on the type of income, such as cash sales, credit sales, credit card settlement and the like.
Not all incoming cash is from sales. You may also receive cash from loans, equity investments, tax refunds and other sources.
Once you've completed this section, you should have a clear idea of how much money you expect to receive on a weekly or monthly basis, over the period of the forecast. Typically, a cashflow forecast will look six months to a year ahead, and longer for bigger projects.
Step 2- Outgoing cash
In the same way, list all the payments made from your business. Be sure to include every form of payment, and take care to include irregular or annual payments. To help you check that you've not missed something, take a look at your accounts for the previous year to see what payments were made.
Payments you're likely to have in this section include:
- Stock purchases
- Payroll
- Tax payments
- Loan repayments
- Asset purchases
- Expense reimbursements
Once you've completed this section you should have a total for the cash outgoings on a weekly or monthly basis.
Step 3 - Net balance
The net balance is the difference between the total incoming cash and the total outgoing cash. If you add your opening bank balance, the cashflow forecast will now give you an estimate of how much money you will have in your bank account on any particular day.
In a strong, healthy business the net balance should be positive. If it's not, the forecast will help you to identify the reason. It may be that you're investing in business growth, which will bring in more future sales income but involves advance costs. The forecast will help you identify whether you need to source short or medium-term funding from elsewhere, and the scale of that funding.
Common problems with cashflow forecasts
Errors occur in cashflow forecasts because the process involves making estimates and it often relies on data that's input into a spreadsheet manually, rather than taken directly from your accounting system.
Problems to look out for in your cashflow forecast include:
- Overlooking VAT on sales, purchases and tax payments.
- Inaccurate information about future receipts and payments.
- Big differences between actual and estimated sales.
It takes time to build and refine an accurate cashflow forecast. Don't be surprised that you need to alter yours often, adding in unexpected receipts and payments.
Keep your forecast up to date
Because your cashflow forecast is based on estimates and assumptions, it will very quickly differ from what actually happens. This means you should update it regularly and often. A well-run business will maintain their cashflow forecast several times a week, perhaps even daily, to keep it as accurate as possible.
Cashflow planning is a vital business activity that you can't afford to overlook or put off. If you're planning to grow your business successfully, the time you put into cashflow forecasting is a wise investment.
Ethical business funding from Qardus
We support growing businesses by providing growth finance of between £50k to £200k on terms of between 6 and 36 months. This finance is helping UK-based small and medium-sized companies to expand their operations and their market share.
We fund businesses that have demonstrated their capability with a proven product and management team. Our clients are drawn from many different industries, but our ethical position means we cannot work with companies involved with products considered detrimental to the welfare of society, such as gambling, alcohol and tobacco. This is because we operate based on Islamic community principles. Our funding process is certified as Sharia-compliant.
We work with businesses and their owners both inside and outside the Muslim community. Any business that operates in line with our ethical values is welcome to apply for funding.
If your business is looking for growth funding that's fast, affordable and ethical, get in touch with us today.
Introduction
Across the world of finance, business, corporate transactions, and investments, adherence to ethical and religious principles is becoming increasingly important. People are actively searching for Sharia compliant venture capital which stands at the intersection of entrepreneurship and Islamic finance.
Not only does Sharia-compliant venture capital support businesses to operate within the rules of Islamic finance, but also ensures that they have adequate funding to innovate and grow.
Sharia-compliant venture capital facilitates and enables ethical growth and investment. What this means in the long-term for businesses is that they can ensure their growth is sustainable and stable.
WHAT IS VENTURE CAPITAL?
In its very basic form, venture capital is exactly what it says it is. It is capital (money) for a venture. It provides essential funds for (usually) start-ups or small and medium-sized enterprises that have potential for growth and want to minimise their debt. The aim of anyone investing in these businesses is to see a good return on their investment.
Investors or venture capital firms that invest in a business provide capital funding in exchange for ownership or some equity in the business.
For Muslims, venture capital is a move away from obtaining funding from banks which offer loans that do not adhere to Sharia principles. Primarily, conventional banks offer loans based on interest calculations and interest is prohibited in Islam.
In addition to funding, some venture capitalists offer advice and mentoring to the businesses they invest in. This can be a great boost for those looking for management expertise. This can come in the form of strategic guidance, access to networks, and business development opportunities. The aim is to accelerate the trajectory growth of the business.
To summarise, venture capital plays a significant role in supporting innovation. Many new businesses can struggle to secure the finance to enable them to grow as they do not have a trading history or record of achievement. Being able to access venture capital means ideas become innovations, and innovations can become successful.
Sharia Compliant Venture Capital
When it comes to Sharia-compliant venture capital we are referring to venture capital that operates within the parameters of Islamic finance. The principles of Islamic finance are based on ethical and socially responsible transactions, and zero interest-based lending.
Unlike the more traditional form of venture capital funds, Sharia compliant venture capital invests in those promising businesses that operate in Sharia-compliant industries. This means Sharia-compliant venture capital cannot invest in industries such as the porn, alcohol, or gambling industry.
More likely is that venture capital funds will invest in industries such as healthcare, sustainability, renewable energy, and education.
Innovation And Islamic Finance
A critical element of Sharia-compliant venture capital is to support and encourage innovation within the Islamic finance ecosystem. What this means for businesses and entrepreneurs is that they can pursue Islamic and innovative ideas whilst ensuring they can access funding in a Sharia compliant way.
One of the key concepts within Sharia compliant venture capital is the concept of risk sharing (mudarabah). What this means is for investors to provide the capital to entrepreneurs who use the money to grow and develop the business idea.
Any profits that are generated are then shared between the parties in pre-agreed terms and ratios. In a difficult and unpredictable economy, it means businesses can access finance and develop their product and services where otherwise they may not be able to.
Ethical Investments And Venture Capital
When it comes to investments, Sharia rules are strict and require that investments are fully halal. What this means is that venture capital cannot be spent on haram activities or industries.
Instead, venture capital investments must be used for ventures that are ethical and that contribute to society in a positive way. Not only does this ensure compliance with Islam, but also ensures that the capital is spent in a way that aligns with Islamic finance and the beliefs of the investor and business.
Islamic Finance And Entrepreneurship
When it comes to Islamic finance, money serves mainly as a medium of exchange rather than a tradable commodity value. For entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, they need the money to be able to scale and grow their idea into a profitable business.
When looking for Sharia-compliant venture capital businesses need to look out for:
- Mudarabah/ profit sharing: make sure any contract relating to venture capital investment is based on a fair and pre agreed payment ratio (with losses borne by the investor).
- Musharakah: in this type of partnership arrangement the parties share the profits according to the capital contribution.
- Advisors: make sure that you have access to a Sharia advisor who can advise on compliancy and ongoing compliance.
- Investment: any investment should be halal and in halal industries
- Annual disclosure: check and monitor Sharia compliancy and ensure you have annual disclosure for transparency
- Regulation: ensure there is a regulatory framework that is rooted in Islamic finance.
Ventures Supported By Sharia-Compliant Capital
Many businesses have been supported by Sharia compliant venture capital. The remit of businesses includes fintech companies, digital, and health care sectors.
For any new business or SME looking for investment, venture capital is often the perfect solution.
Venture capital plays a critical role in many different ways:
- provides financial resource and financial services
- supports early stage innovation
- facilitates experimentation and entrepreneurship
- provides guidance via the mentorship model
- offers long term perspective
- provides capital solutions
- offers market exposure
- enables SME to navigate new sectors
- focus away from the bank to the investor
- opportunity to scale growth and capital
- ecosystem and infrastructure development
Future Trends
The future of Islamic venture capital funds looks bright. The Islamic finance market is one of the fastest growing financial markets in the world. Accompanied by technological advancement and the increasing demand for Sharia-compliant products and finance, venture capital funds that adhere to Islamic finance rules will continue to grow.
The demand for ethical venture capital is not only driven by Muslims. There are huge swathes of communities who want to invest in a more socially responsible and ethical way. Not only does this generate sustainable growth, but also supports efficiency and economic prosperity for the long term.
What Is The Recovery Loan Scheme
The Recovery Loan scheme was launched on the 6th April 2021 by the UK government as a successor to the government’s Interruptions Loan Scheme and bounce back grants from 2020. As with any loan scheme, this scheme requires the payment of interest. This, of course, is contrary to Islamic Sharia law principles that forbid the collection or payment of interest.
For many Muslim-owned and backed businesses, the question has arisen as to whether the Recovery Loan Scheme is Sharia-compliant. Before we address that, we need to look at the Recovery Loan Scheme and its key features.
The Recovery Loan Scheme provisions were put in place by the government to ensure that they were able to provide financial support to UK businesses. The government wanted to offer additional funding to businesses in the UK that needed the funding to survive the economic turmoil brought on by the pandemic.
The Recovery Loan Scheme’s main purpose is to facilitate recovery and growth post-pandemic. The payments from the Recovery Loan Scheme also aim to ensure that businesses survive during the transitional period back to regular business activities.
The scheme is open to any business that is:
- Trading in the UK
- Able to show it has been adversely affected by the pandemic
- Not involved in any insolvency proceedings
- A viable business if not for the pandemic
How The Recovery Loan Scheme Works
The Recovery Loan Scheme wants to facilitate a full return to business activities for those businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic. The successive lockdowns have affected many small and medium businesses that have been unable to earn an income from their trade.
The Scheme is targeted at businesses that are viable enough to afford debt finance. The British Business Bank administers the Scheme. The actual funding is made available via a range of accredited lenders.
As with any process that involves applying for a loan, businesses need to make a formal application via the lender of their choice.
The loan consists of standard commercial lending terms and this includes the payment of interest on the loan amount. The interest rate varies depending on the lender who provides the loan.
Features Of The Recovery Loan Scheme
An approved lender of the Scheme can provide various loan products including:
- Overdraft facilities
- Asset finance monies
- Term loans
- Interest and fees payments
Any business applying for a loan through the Scheme can borrow up to £10 million. There are also minimum facilities that start in the sum of £1,000.
Some other key features are:
- Guarantee: the government itself guarantees up to 80% of the loan to the lender, irrespective of the size of the loan. This guarantee is not provided to the business, but direct to the lender.
- Interest: any business that takes out a Recovery Scheme Loan will have to make interest and fees payments from the date the loan is drawn. Although interest rates are capped at 14.99%, lenders are encouraged to keep the rates low.
- Term: terms vary from 3 months to 6 years.
What Are The Sharia Rules Relating To Loans And Interest
Sharia law prohibits businesses from paying or receiving interest. Interest, known as riba in Sharia law, is forbidden as it is seen as a mechanism that promotes social injustice. One of the central concepts of Islamic Finance is that Muslims cannot benefit from lending money and paying interest on loans.Sharia law deems riba as an exchange with no equity. That means that it encourages an exchange that is considered to be unequal and unjust. Riba is considered to be an exploitative transaction.
Bottom Line
If we have a look at the Recovery Loan Scheme, it relies on interest payments as a key feature of the Scheme’s repayment terms. The interest element of the Scheme deems it to be non-compliant with Sharia law. In this case, the business will be repaying the full loan amount plus interest at a rate decided on by the lender.
The Scheme goes against the Sharia principle of ensuring investments and payments are socially responsible.
Sharia law clearly states that lending with the payment of interest favours lenders who make money at the expense of the borrower. Islam forbids the receipt of income from money alone, and this is precisely what interest payments are.
Islamic Finance is based on ethical economic principles. The Recovery Loan Scheme is therefore not Sharia-compliant as the interest payment element of the Scheme is contrary to Sharia principles.However, businesses that operate within Islamic Finance principles can still recover from the pandemic. Islamic Finance is focused on sustainable economics and there are products available within the Islamic Finance market that can assist businesses with economic recovery.
The Qardus Option For Business Funding
We provide finance to small and medium-sized enterprises with growth potential that the business owners want to unlock. The funding available is from £50k to £200k with terms of between 6 and 36 months.
Our funding process is rooted in Islamic community principles and is certified as Sharia-compliant. As a result, we don't charge interest and we don't work in business sectors considered damaging to society, such as alcohol, tobacco or gambling.
Because of our principles, our funding solution is an attractive option for Muslim business owners, but we also provide funding to business owners outside the Muslim community.
We offer fast, flexible and affordable business growth funding that's firmly grounded in ethical principles.
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