IslamicFinance.de

The Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) will prioritize wider adoption of its standards by engaging national regulators in key markets. Islamic finance has grown fast in part due to self-regulation, but the approach is now viewed as a barrier to growth. AAOIFI secretary-general Hamed Hassan Merah said wider adoption had a direct link to the qualitative growth of the industry. AAOIFI has recently signed Borsa Istanbul and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency as institutional members. Special attention will be given to Malaysia and the convergence of AAOIFI standards with the local rules. An AAOIFI survey of 213 scholars found 78% of respondents favour making AAOIFI sharia standards mandatory. On the other hand, 82% of respondents said Islamic finance institutions should adopt them on a voluntary basis.