IslamicFinance.de

Over the decade from 2007 to 2017, government restrictions on religion increased markedly around the world. Social hostilities involving religion also have risen since 2007. The latest data of the Pew Research Center show that government restrictions have risen in several different ways. Laws and policies restricting religious freedom and government favoritism of religious groups have consistently been the most prevalent types of restrictions. Government limits on religious activities and government harassment of religious groups have also been rising over the past decade. However, interreligious tension and violence has declined markedly since the baseline year.

According to Pew Research, the demand for Islamic financial technology is set to grow siginificantly, as the global Muslim population is expected to explode from less than two billion in 2015 to almost three billion by 2060. Malaysia, the UK and Indonesia are leading the race, ranking first, second and third respectively by number of Islamic fintech startups. However, fierce competition from Middle Eastern countries threatens their supremacy. In January, Bahraini banks created a consortium aiming to create fifteen fintech providers in five years. Last year, the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) launched an accelerator called FinTech Hive. The UK has recently launched the crowdfunded property investment platform Yielders adding to established players including InsureHalal and Ethos Asset Facilitation Platform.

The Weekly Number's analysis of a new Pew Research Center report - a study based on methodology developed by Brian J. Grim - finds that the 12 countries identified in the study as having very high religious diversity each outpaced the world's economic growth between 2008 and 2012.

Full Report: http://www.pewforum.org/2014/04/04/global-religious-diversity/