The prohibition of interest is the feature of Islamic banking which most distinctly sets it apart from conventional banking. To Western eyes, this seems a strange restriction, but Christian countries themselves maintained such a ban for 1,400 years. Islamic Banking asks why Islam has been able to maintain its stand. The book explores the intricacies of Islamic law and the religious and ethical principles underpinning Islamic banking. It then considers the analytical basis of Islamic banking and financing in the light of modern theories of financial intermediation, and identifies the conceptual issues to be overcome. Following case studies of the operations of Islamic banks in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia and Australia, along with Iran, Pakistan and Sudan, the volume concludes that many of the criticisms of their activities seem misplaced. It argues that the factors governing success are the distinctive system of corporate governance and continued product innovation. The book ends by considering four such innovations - Islamic investment banking and project finance, Islamic insurance, Islamic securities and the formation of a pan-Islamic international financial centre.

This pathbreaking volume - the first to consider Islamic banking and finance from a global perspective - will be of great interest to scholars of money and banking, international finance and Middle Eastern studies.