Abdul Halim bin Ismail: How Islamic banks can better serve the poor

Abdul Halim bin Ismail, the recipient of the Royal Award for Islamic Finance 2014, is proposing a new way for the Islamic finance sector to do more for society. His idea calls on central banks, most notably in Muslim-majority nations, to issue licenses to Islamic banks that would allow them to establish subsidiaries — or Sadaqah houses — catering to the social welfare sector. These charity houses would collect donations from the private sector and utilize the funds to make sound investments, with profits supporting programs that improve livelihood, health and education services for disadvantaged populations.