This commentary provides a comprehensive overview of Shariah governance in Islamic financial institutions (IFIs). This piece draws on a literature review of various relevant studies and their key ...findings and observations. It emphasises the importance of implementing a robust Shariah governance framework in IFIs and argues that the current Shariah governance frameworks are complicated, resulting in each country adopting a different approach. The commentary highlights that the existence of different Shariah governance approaches can lead to inconsistencies in Shariah rulings, potentially undermining the credibility of IFIs and eroding consumer confidence.Additionally, the study reveals that certain IFIs have failed due to a deficient Shariah governance system. However, the commentary argues that the collapse of an institution does not necessarily indicate a weak Shariah governance framework. The framework itself remains robust, but the problem lies in how the Shariah supervisory board (SSB) interprets and makes decisions. As a result, a standardised Shariah governance framework could help address some of the inconsistencies contributing to these issues. This commentary is valuable for both academics and non-academics who are interested in understanding Shariah governance.
Abstract
We address the scarcity of empirical research on Shariah Compliance Disclosure (hereafter referred to as SCD) by presenting new evidence on the levels and range of SCD, of 807 bank‐year ...observation of Islamic Financial Institutions (hereafter referred to as IFIs) in 19 countries for the period from 2010 to 2020 and its determinants. Using an unweighted disclosure index measured by manual content analysis categorized into Shariah Supervisory Board (hereafter referred to as SSB) information, audit process, Shariah compliance review and Zakat, several outcomes are documented. In general, the SCD level is above average (57.38%) and hence evidence an overall growth during the sample period. Further, the study examines the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and SCD and the results indicate that foreign investors, institutional investors, board size, board independence, SSB reputation and SSB size are vital and influence the extent of SCD level. The study also conducted several tests to examine the main findings' robustness. The findings deliver valuable in‐depth empirical insights to regulatory bodies on the current SCD practises of IFIs to assist policymakers in modifying reporting frameworks or guidelines accordingly. In addition, this research can support academics, policymakers or standard setters and managers interested in seeking information about SCD and CG.
