Mohd Faizal Yusof, Lisasari Ab. Rasid, Ridzuan Masri
Bitcoin spearheaded the rise of cryptocurrencies since it was first launched in 2009. The concept of bitcoin as digital currency was first published publicly in the 2008 well-known whitepaper by pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. The whitepaper outlined a self-serving peer-to-peer transaction network concept based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party such as financial institutions. Since then, thousands of cryptocurrencies have been launched mostly through token offerings as an alternative approach of raising funds for blockchain, technology projects, and start-ups. People are holding cryptocurrencies mostly as digital asset investments. Some individuals made huge profits from buying cryptocurrencies at their initial offerings and sold later when the prices increased. Some crypto millionaires were born from such trades. However, many people lost their investment as well due to many factors. Some were due to bad investment decisions, and some fall into scams and investment programs run by dishonest peoplewith promises of highly lucrative returns. As trading and owning cryptocurrencies are becoming common, governments and policymakers around the world are coming up with proper and comprehensive regulations for cryptocurrencies. In the context of Malaysia, in which zakat collections and distributions are of state matters, this paper discusses the implementation of zakat payment platform for cryptocurrencies at zakat institutions. This paper seeks to contribute to the academic development, blockchain technology, and zakat management.
This article supports decision-makers for the use of blockchain technology in academies and industry in Indonesia, considering its advantages and disadvantages. Like the current Covid 19 pandemic, it is necessary to obtain accurate data in various economic sectors. Islamic economic instruments such as waqf are an important sector, proven to have played a significant role in socio-economy throughout history, as a philanthropic tool and contribute to Islamic civilization. If developed, managed and utilized properly, it can create sustainability for the community. A method that relies on previous literature, this qualitative paper aims to contribute to encouraging the government to use blockchain for waqf. We outline terms and concepts related to how blockchain works and theoretical trust to investigate how blockchain affects the role of trust in waqf transactions. The results using the SWOT framework, we discuss what emerges from blockchain technology in waqf. The conclusion of this study discusses how blockchain can contribute to waqf instruments based on a conceptual framework. We hope to stimulate interest in theory and practice to encourage discussion in this area.
Money has changed its form many times throughout history and has begun to turn into digital form as an alternative to the current situation. The newest type of money form is a cryptocurrency which has been developed independently of any central authority. The usage areas of cryptocurrencies are increasing day by day. Bitcoin is one of the most accepted cryptocurrencies in the world, which was issued in 2009, dominated the cryptocurrency market and attracted the attention of large masses with its rapid rise in value. Cryptocurrency market size exceeded $800 billion in early 2018. Most of the cryptocurrency users want to get a share from value increases of cryptocurrencies. However, these behaviours are not in line with the philosophy of cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies also cause problems of legitimacy for Muslim users in termsof Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh). Although many religious institutions and Islamic scholars say that cryptocurrencies are haram, several Islamic scholars consider that they are halal. In our study, the legitimacy of cryptocurrencies in terms of Fiqh is analysed multidimensional employing the existing literature and fatwas. Furthermore, we attempt to determine the features of Islamic cryptocurrency.
Purpose This paper aims to explore issues arising from ṣukūk (Islamic bonds) on blockchain, including Sharīʾah (Islamic law) and legal matters. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology is used in conducting this research where relevant literature on ṣukūk was reviewed. Through a doctrinal approach, the paper presents analyses on the practice of ṣukūk and ṣukūk on blockchain by discussing its legal, Sharīʾah and regulatory issues. This culminates in a conceptual analysis of blockchain ṣukūk and its peculiar challenges. Findings This paper reveals that digitizing ṣukūk issuance through blockchain remedies certain inefficiencies associated with ṣukūk transactions. Indeed, structuring ṣukūk on a blockchain platform can increase transparency of underlying ṣukūk assets and cash flows in addition to reducing costs and the number of intermediaries in ṣukūk transactions. The paper likewise brings to light legal, regulatory, Sharīʾah and cyber risks associated with ṣukūk on blockchain that confront investors, practitioners and regulators. This calls for deeper collaboration in research among Sharīʾah scholars, lawyers, regulators and information technology experts. Research limitations/implications As a pioneering subject, the paper notes the prospects of blockchain ṣukūk and the current dearth of literature on it. The paper would assist relevant Islamic capital market entities and authorities to determine the potential and impact of blockchain ṣukūk in their respective businesses and the financial system. Practical implications Blockchain ṣukūk will assist in addressing issues inherent in classical ṣukūk and in paving the way to innovative solutions that will facilitate and enhance the quality of ṣukūk transactions. For that, ṣukūk would require appropriate regulatory technology to address its governance and regulation peculiarities. Originality/value Integrating ṣukūk with blockchain technology will add value to it. The paper advances the idea that blockchain ṣukūk revolutionises ṣukūk and enhances its practice against known inadequacies.
The study aimed to identify the effect of smart blockchain contracts on the financial services industry in the banking sector in Jordan, through an empirical study on the Jordanian banking sector. The study population was represented by the banks in the Jordanian environment, (15) banks were selected with their various branches. As for the study sample, it consisted of (81) including (managers, deputy directors, heads of departments, major clients), representing approximately 67.5% of the total sent questionnaires. A questionnaire was used as an instrument of the study in order to collect data from the study population. The descriptive and analytical approach was used. The study concluded that there is a statistically significant relationship regarding the impact of smart blockchain contracts on the financial services industry in the banking sector in Jordan. It was found also that the smart blockchain contracts help to reduce the cost of Banking services and enhancing operational efficiency in Jordanian banks. Moreover, they enhance and develop banking services and upgrade them in Jordanian banks. In light of the results of the field study, the researcher recommended that Jordanian banks should rely on smart Blockchain contracts in the field of banking sector that will contribute to reducing costs related to remittances and raising the operational efficiency of these banks.
Few years after the development of Bitcoin (BTC), there was need to develop another blockchain that could support many applications, and consequently, the Ethereum Blockchain (EB) was developed. One of the key initiatives that was enabled by the development of the EB is that of Decentralised Finance (DeFi). Understanding the massive potential of DeFi, particularly in developing markets, many other developers are embarking on projects to develop their DeFi supporting blockchains. The Universal Money Instrument (UMI) team is one of the groups that embarked on this journey. Approximately 1.5 years after the launch of the UMI Blockchain (UMI B) and the UMI coin, the team recently released their DeFi manifest. Considering that Africa stands to benefit more from DeFi, it is expected that these two blockchains will compete for dominance in Africa. Hence, the main objective of this study was to determine the most suitable blockchain for the African continent. To achieve the above objective, a non-empirical, exploratory research was conducted in the form of an online desktop review. It was found that the UMI DeFi is ideal for Africa because the UMI B; is highly scalable, supports nearinstant transactions, offers free transactions, uses a superior consensus algorithm, took longer to develop, and safe from attacks like the 51% attacks.
Cryptocurrency in the perspective of Islam has currently become a subject undergoing intense study among researchers. The Islamic perspective of money, has specific characteristics and requirements, such as stability and is based on assets. These characteristics also applied to the Cryptocurrency as
Charitable giving in legacy systems is subject to several major downsides that can be addressed with decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Centralized legacy charitable organizations often lack foundational transparency and are subject to significant power imbalances that favor the donor and lead to centralization of the charity. Existing legal incentives often lead to so-called Zombie Charities in many jurisdictions. The donative intent can therefore often not be optimally fulfilled. DAOs combine unique feedback loops and transparency features with community governance that address the existing shortcomings of charitable organizations in decentralized structures.
Ahmada Khoirul Umam, Onny Herlambang Putra Wardhana, Ira Humaira Hany
Advances in technology that exist today, have brought people to a lot of reforms in various aspects; fashion, automotive, communication and payment systems. developments that exist in the payment system, not only mobilizing people to be able to transact more effective and efficient. Furthermore, it is able to lead humans to a monetary system reformation such as the existence of various cryptocurrencies. However, this progress must be able to be monitored, because we know that everything’s like two sides of a coin. Islam as a kaffah system has a responsibility to anticipate the various possibilities that exist. Through literature review in this paper, the author tries to provide various important matters in the dynamics of cryptocurrencies, and how the Islamic economy’s role in order to supervise, make a contribution to the existing dynamics.
Zakat as a tremendously effective tool for poverty minimization and social problems resolution, just like digital wallets can be used and optimized within the potential use of blockchain technology. Furthermore, zakat blockchain is one of the media instruments to cut the chain of zakat management and distribution, which is complex and requires much time. The synergy of amil zakat and muzakki in zakat blockchain is the right answer for welfare and time efficiency in distributing zakat to asnaf wherever they are. The methodology employed in this research was descriptive qualitative. This research was a descriptive study because it described or elucidated the combination of zakat and blockchain in Indonesia. The research approach used was qualitative. The objects of this research were zakat institutions in Indonesia. The subject of this research was the mechanism between muzakki and nadzhir in Indonesia This study’s results stated the importance of blockchain application and implementation for better zakat management
Program Studi Teknik Informatika, Universitas Telkom, Sarah Suryaningsih, Yoga Riandika, Program Studi Teknik Informatika, Universitas Telkom · 8 authors
Waqf has an important role in one aspect of Islamic in the economic sector. For document and evidence, waqf noted by nazir (receiver, guard, who maintains waqf) with paper and receipt. That is very vulnerable to losing waqf data which is because it is only documented by paper which is easy to lose or damaged. Based on that problem, then the waqf application based blockchain technology was developed which Aims to securing record data of waqf transaction so as not to be lost or hacked by irresponsible people, other than that for increase effectiveness in executing waqf transaction from wakif (a person who donates his property) side and nazhir (receiver, guard, who maintains waqf) side. The data collection methods used in this article are questionnaires and also interviews. This article confirms that waqf could be stored even better in security effort and saving data which is done digitally via website and android application. The results of the research which got a total result 95% with very feasible criteria, therefore the result of this research from this application have a very feasible score to be implemented for available waqf transaction because it has given more secure and effectiveness for the user.
Blockchain is an open distributed database that carries out transactions on an open decentralized ledger. It is a technology that will probably be the source of a huge digital change especially in the financial sector. The application of this technology has started to take its first steps recently and its importance is undeniable in an emerging and expanding field such as Islamic finance. In this context, the purpose of this article is to study the integration of the blockchain and one of its important components, namely the smart contract in the management of the compulsory Islamic charity the zakat. To do this, we have developed a funding model linking all the stakeholders in question and the diversities of blockchain technology. We were thus able to conclude huge benefits and technical contributions in this context which encourages Islamic financial institutions to develop more models likely to support this technology without ignoring the compliance with the Islamic jurisprudence rules.
Rana Mahmoud Abdou, Hamdy Mahmoud Kadous, Ahmed Elsayed Hamdallah
The rapid development of cryptocurrencies has attracted the attention of investors, speculators, regulators, and academics in recent years. A large amount of research has been devoted to the pricing mechanisms of cryptocurrency markets, the drivers of volatility and the diversification potential of cryptocurrencies. (Kurka, 2019, P.38). bitcoin is the best-known cryptocurrency which currently holds the largest market capitalization and is regarded as a standard example of a cryptocurrency.( Jaywant, 2019 , P.147) bitcoin has emerged as the most popular virtual currency, and maintains the greatest share ahead of its competitors; the Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and bitcoin Cash. (Vardar & Aydogan , 2019 , P.2 )جذب التطور السريع للعملات المشفرة انتباه المستثمرين والمضاربين والمنظمين والأکاديميين في السنوات الأخيرة. تم تخصيص قدر کبير من الأبحاث لآليات التسعير الخاصة بأسواق العملات المشفرة ، ومحرکات التقلب وإمکانية التنويع في العملات المشفرة. عملة البيتکوين هي العملة المشفرة الأکثر شهرة والتي تمتلک حاليًا أکبر قيمة سوقية وتعتبر مثالًا قياسيًا للعملة المشفرة. برزت عملة البيتکوين باعتبارها العملة الافتراضية الأکثر شعبية ، وتحتفظ بأکبر حصة في المستقبل من منافسيها) الايثيرم ، الريبل ، اليتکوين والبيتکوين کاش).
Uncertainties might compel many investors to hedge by buying globally traded assets, such as Bitcoin, which has also been used as a means of payment in several countries. Bitcoin does not originate from any centralized authority and cannot entirely be controlled; therefore, Bitcoin usage might potentially pose issues to the monetary authorities within a country. This paper analyzes the effect of both global and domestic uncertainty on Bitcoin's demand in Indonesia. Our result suggests that Bitcoin is used for hedging against uncertainties. The monetary policy implications of our results are also discussed.
Blockchain is an open distributed database that carries out transactions on an open decentralized ledger. It is a technology that will probably be the source of a huge digital change especially in the financial sector. The application of this technology has started to take its first steps recently and its importance is undeniable in an emerging and expanding field such as Islamic finance. In this context, the purpose of this article is to study the integration of the blockchain and one of its important components, namely the smart contract in the management of the compulsory Islamic charity the zakat. To do this, we have developed a funding model linking all the stakeholders in question and the diversities of blockchain technology. We were thus able to conclude huge benefits and technical contributions in this context which encourages Islamic financial institutions to develop more models likely to support this technology without ignoring the compliance with the Islamic jurisprudence rules.
The reality is that we live in a society where a small group of people thinks they know better than we do and how we should live our lives. They don’t ever seem to realize that the power and wealth they surround themselves with is only possible because of the quiet acquiescence of the majority. They say employment is a record high, but fail to say wages have been going down in real terms for decades. This wall street elites and big head of governments and pharmaceutical businesses constantly keep telling the general population how great everything is but deep down we all know it’s not true as Recent estimates for global poverty are that 8.6 percent of the world, or 736 million people, live in extreme poverty on 1.90 dollars or less a day, according to the World Bank but we know in our bones it’s not true. But it could be and through technology, it will be. As the only answer to political and financial problems that assail us is to step outside the circus. That’s where cryptocurrencies come in, as they offer a secure form of transferring or recording ownership of our assets and the most important part is they function completely independently of governments. Whether you are with or against them cryptocurrencies represent one of the biggest bull markets in the history of finance and it’s the only boom that comes close to the California gold rush. So as a future Muslim Moroccan scientific researcher in the field of Cybersecurity and block-chain technology I couldn’t help but wonder how could we use this technology in my country to revolutionize the banking and Financial sector in it and especially after I learned that Morocco prohibited the use of bitcoin back in 2017. I then found myself asking the following questions: how does cryptocurrency conform to sharia’s Islamic teaching especially in Morocco? And how could the use of cryptocurrencies send shock waves across the Middle East?
Azlin Alisa Ahmad, Mat Noor Mat Zain, Nur Diyana Amanina Zakaria
<p>A smart contract is a computer protocol contract of which its innovation rooted from the traditional contract. However, Sharia-compliant transaction necessitates a contract to fulfils all pillars of Islamic contracts in order smart contract can be accepted as an innovation of Islamic contracts. Thus, this paper aims to make a comparison between Islamic contracts and smart contract on blockchain. This paper is a qualitative research by adopting content analysis method to analyze some related topics. The pillars of Islamic contract are compared with the smart contract to ensure whether the smart contract follows the guidelines of Islamic contract or vice versa. The analysis shows that smart contract does not entirely comply with the Islamic principles of a contract. Even though smart contract generally has three pillars of Islamic contract but in details, it does not comply with the Sharia principles. By comparing between the pillars of Islamic contract and smart contract on blockchain, it shows that smart contract on blockchain is not underline with the Islamic contracts pillars. Contracting parties participate in the smart contract does not recognize each other that can be lead to <em>gharar</em>. Meanwhile, every transaction in the smart contract allows prohibited subject matters such as illegal drugs, weapons where as it is not allowed in Islamic contracts transactions. </p>\n\n<p> </p>
Digital currencies, despite its reputation of not being actual money by conventional definition, has found its way in the market. Although the initial issuer of digital currency like Bitcoin was not known and had no tie with central banks or any financial institutions, the digital currency is trending dynamically despite it being volatile. Many researchers found that its low correlation to stocks makes it a good complementary new financial instrument to be added to traditional assets such as stocks or gold. Owing to the reason, the objectives of this study are twofold; first, to observe the performance of the ‘new’ portfolio, and second, to examine the appropriate weight that should be allocated. Considering Bitcoins and conventional resources such as KLSE Index, Emas (gold), and oil price, this research used the return/risk and Sharpe ratio. It is found that a portfolio that combines Bitcoin, KLSE Index, Emas (gold), and oil performed well when the weight allocation for the digital currency is higher (in this context, 30 to 50 per cent). Also, by building an efficient frontier portfolio using the mean-CVaR approach, it is suggested that Bitcoins should be at a minimum of 3 per cent to ensure the portfolio is compensated by the appropriate return.