IslamicFinance.de

For Islamic banking in Africa, the potential pool of customers is vast while the significant liquidity available within Islamic finance presents an ideal source of funding for Africa's huge infrastructure needs. Despite this evident potential, however, standalone Islamic banks are still comparatively rare across the continent. This is a consequence of the logistical difficulties and high-risk involved in setting up a new bank in Africa, together with the strict regulations involved in offering a Shari'ah-compliant solution, which have presented a double barrier to start-up Islamic banks in the continent. Offering an Islamic solution within an existing bank is a lower-risk way to access Africa's market potential.