Islamic finance is a centuries-old practice that is incessantly marking its significance in not only the Eastern but also the Western states. So what exactly is this practice that has captivated the interest of millions across the globe and is gaining continuous recognition? Islamic finance is the process through which the financial conglomerates in the Muslim world inclusive of their banks and further loan giving financial organizations raise their capital in agreement to the Islamic rules and regulations that are called as the “Shari’ah”. The various categories of investments that are permissible under the Shri’ah are included in this field.

This industry is showing an impressive and a steady growth rate of above fifteen percent with global worth of almost £150bn to £250bn. Its history dates back to the inception of Islam whereas it was formalized in the beginning of the early sixties when the concept of Islamic banking was made official, owing to the demand for the “Shari’ah” practices. It is basically the acceptance of its attribute of risk sharing that is an important component of elevating the capital and shunning “riba” and “gharar” which are usury and the uncertainty risk respectively.

According to the Islamic laws there are two people involved in a business transaction regarding loans, the individual who is being paid the loan is the borrower whereas the one paying it is the lender. Normally interest is charged by the lender on the amount that he is lending. This concept is vehemently rejected by Islam which terms capital as a means of value rather than as an asset, and asserts the negation of receiving interest over money. Further under the Islamic rules and regulations it is termed as illegal and “haram”. The existence of Islamic banking works towards the supplementation and fulfillment of both the economic and the social objectives of Islam. Some of the investment arrangements that are permitted under Islamic banking have been briefly explained in the following paragraphs.

Profit banking is permissible that involves the sharing of both profit and loss between the financial organization and the respective enterprise that has been endorsed by it. Under the indentures of profit and loss sharing the capital of the investors is amalgamated and the eventual loss and turnover is shared. As mentioned earlier, gharar is the uncertainty risk factor that involves the acquisition of a premium against an unforeseen and unpredicted calamity that might befall. Similarly the concept of equity financing of a particular corporation is permitted, as long as the respective organization is not found to be involved in some kind of restricted productions say for instance pornography, alcohol and artillery.

Joint stock ownerships are quite common. The declining balance equity involves the combined purchase of say for instance a house by the bank and the financier. With the passage of time the ownership of the house is transferred by the financier to the original owner whose expenses comprised the home owner’s equity. The lease to win is a related method except for the provision of almost the entire finance by the respective financial institute or sponsor on the terms that the house is resold to them after a predetermined time period. A share of the all the individual payments make up the lease.

The cost plus sale is also another commonly practiced method where a liaison say for instance purchases a house with a clear title but agrees to resell it to a potential buyer at the same profit. The subsequent purchase can be both in the form of an absolute payment or timely installments. Leasing is also a feature that is permitted by the Islamic finance. It includes the right of a person who has obtained a lease on a particular item to use it s desired for the specified time period. Once a lease expires a new one can be obtained. Similarly Islamic forwards are also acceptable that involve the payment for a particular item that is acquired at some time in the future. The services of a legal consultant are mostly employed.

Currently this topic is a hot cake in the Europe and owing to the shortage of expert individuals in this field; it is a great career choice for individuals who seek a dynamic and a challenging career in the international market. Many universities abroad are also offering Islamic finance as a course in addition to a certificate that is aimed towards making up for the scarcity of expert and accomplished professionals in the respective market. Skills required to excel in this field are management dexterity and knowledge whereas their job is to make sure that all the financial activities that are being carried out are in accordance to the Shari’ah rules and guiding principles.

All in all it’s increasing recognition all around the globe both amongst the Muslims and the non-Muslims can not be denied. This field continues its efforts of integrating religion with the modern practices. And given the amplification of riches in the Muslim states, it is expected to show further progression and advancement.

Amidst globalisation Banking System in India has attained vital importance. Day by day there has been increasing banking complexities in banking transactions, capital requirements, liquidity, credit and risks associated with them.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO), of which India is a member nation, requires the countries like India to get their banking systems at par with the global standards in terms of financial health, safety and transparency, by implementing the Basel II Norms by 2009.

BASEL COMMITTEE:

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision provides a forum for regular cooperation on banking supervisory matters. Its objective is to enhance understanding of key supervisory issues and improve the quality of banking supervision worldwide. It seeks to do so by exchanging information on national supervisory issues, approaches and techniques, with a view to promoting common understanding. The Committee’s Secretariat is located at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland.

NEED FOR SUCH NORMS:

The first accord by the name .Basel Accord I. was established in 1988 and was implemented by 1992. It was the very first attempt to introduce the concept of minimum standards of capital adequacy. Then the second accord by the name Basel Accord II was established in 1999 with a final directive in 2003 for implementation by 2006 as Basel II Norms. Unfortunately, India could not fully implement this but, is now gearing up under the guidance from the Reserve Bank of India to implement it from 1 April, 2009.

Basel II Norms have been introduced to overcome the drawbacks of Basel I Accord. For Indian Banks, its the need of the hour to buckle-up and practice banking business at par with global standards and make the banking system in India more reliable, transparent and safe. These Norms are necessary since India is and will witness increased capital flows from foreign countries and there is increasing cross-border economic & financial transactions.

FEATURES OF BASEL II NORMS:

Basel II Norms are considered as the reformed & refined form of Basel I Accord. The Basel II Norms primarily stress on 3 factors, viz. Capital Adequacy, Supervisory Review and Market discipline. The Basel Committee calls these factors as the Three Pillars to manage risks.

Pillar I: Capital Adequacy Requirements:

Under the Basel II Norms, banks should maintain a minimum capital adequacy requirement of 8% of risk assets. For India, the Reserve Bank of India has mandated maintaining of 9% minimum capital adequacy requirement. This requirement is popularly called as Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) or Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR).

Pillar II: Supervisory Review:

Banks majorly encounter with 3 Risks, viz. Credit, Operational & Market Risks.

Basel II Norms under this Pillar wants to ensure that not only banks have adequate capital to support all the risks, but also to encourage them to develop and use better risk management techniques in monitoring and managing their risks. The process has four key principles:

a) Banks should have a process for assessing their overall capital adequacy in relation to their risk profile and a strategy for monitoring their capital levels.

b) Supervisors should review and evaluate bank’s internal capital adequacy assessment and strategies, as well as their ability to monitor and ensure their compliance with regulatory capital ratios.

c) Supervisors should expect banks to operate above the minimum regulatory capital ratios and should have the ability to require banks to hold capital in excess of the minimum.

d) Supervisors should seek to intervene at an early stage to prevent capital from falling below minimum level and should require rapid remedial action if capital is not mentioned or restored.

Pillar III: Market Discipline:

Market discipline imposes banks to conduct their banking business in a safe, sound and effective manner. Mandatory disclosure requirements on capital, risk exposure (semiannually or more frequently, if appropriate) are required to be made so that market participants can assess a bank’s capital adequacy. Qualitative disclosures such as risk management objectives and policies, definitions etc. may be also published.

CONCLUSION:

Basel II Norms offers a variety of options in addition to the standard approach to measuring risk. Paves the way for financial institutions to proactively control risk in their own interest and keep capital requirement low.

But . . .

Requires strategizing risk management for the entire enterprise, building huge data warehouses, crunching numbers and performing complex calculations and poses great challenges of compliance for banks and financial institutions.

Increasingly, banks and securities firms world over are getting their act together.

In general, capital is a term used to define resources used to make money. Basically, you use capital to make something else. If you are interested in economics, there is a lot to learn about the concept of capital as an input into the production process.

But we are talking about accounting and finance for your small business, so we will lean towards the accounting interpretation of fixed capital. In practical accounting terms, you can think of fixed capital as fixed assets. The fixed capital assets are used to make something which is then sold for revenue. This is how you convert your capital to cash.

If you want to see your capital, pull out your balance sheet and look on the asset side. Do you see machinery, buildings, trucks, or trailers? If your balance sheet does not include that level of detail you may need to ask the accountant for an asset listing. For those of you who are already hands on, you may have created the asset listing yourself.

In addition to your fixed capital, you should have some working capital. The working capital is what you use everyday in operations – think of it as your on hand capital. Remember from our earlier discussions that resources like inventory and raw materials are assets?

If you take your current assets, like cash, raw materials and inventory, then subtract your current liabilities, like accounts payable, you will get your working capital. Hopefully, the amount of working capital you have is enough to get you through a few weeks of tough times. The working capital is what you need to manage everyday because if you do not, it will diminish and you could run out.

Running out of working capital is bad because that means you are off balance. Your assets, including cash, will begin to pale against your liabilities. It is not easy, however, to manage the working capital. It takes hard work and understanding. We will talk a lot more about working capital in lesson two.

Most small businesses begin getting capital when they first start out. You plan to make money and you need to have some capital to use in making money. Some small businesses can take off from the beginning and do not need another infusion of capital.

If your business is growing at a rate that lets you reinvest earnings and keep growing then you might not need to look for more capital. But some business plans require regular infusions of capital, especially in the beginning growth stages, to stay on target.

It is okay to need more capital so long as your growth plans and future profits can support the payback of more capital. Some capital is secured through collateral and is not really at risk until you can not make a payment and the equipment is taken away. This could have disastrous effects on related parts of your production system.

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There are a lot of companies in the world that start small and eventually grow out to become a powerhouse corporation rich with assets and capital for investing. When companies grow to a sizable corporation, the next big step for them is to enter into investment banking. This type of investing comes hand in hand with corporation owners to help them through the services these banks provide.

One distinct difference between this type of banking has over normal banks is that it does not give out loans and accept deposits. Investment banking services companies that are in need of guidance to the next step in growing their business. This includes helping business owners, government officials, and private institutions. They’re like consultancy firms that help you decide on your next business move.

In addition, investment banking companies offer services such as the facilitating of corporate mergers and managing your assets wisely. They also help in raising capital for corporations through the sale of corporate securities, corporate reconstruction, and IPO selling.

It is a must that corporations should choose the investment bank with delicate care. When corporations have to undergo huge corporate decisions in mergers, capital growth, and trading securities it is good for the owner to know that his company is assisted by professionals who know what they are doing. The advice that investment banks give these corporations is very crucial in this kind of situation.

The world of investment banking provides you with worthwhile experiences that can enhance your analytical skills and develop your knowledge in corporate finance. Sooner or later, you’ll make it as one of the bigwigs through the help of investment banking.

Writing is a huge passion for me as a result I write about everything for example I have recently created content for a local site looking at Cheap microwave ovens and also a specialist ceramic tile finder website.

Author: Jessica Hannah

Image : http://www.flickr.com

It has been said that nearly 61% of businesses are launched with either private capital or capital that is invested into their business by family and friends but investment doesn’t have to stop with merely just your family and friends, which is why equity finance exists.

Equity finance is cash that is invested into your business in return for a share of your business. These investments of cash never have to be repaid and don’t have interest attached to them. Equity finance is true risk capital as there is no guarantee that the investor will get their money back at all and these investments are not tied to assets that can be removed from your business should it fail.

The way in which investors get a profit from their investment is the fact they have a share in your business. This share means that investors either get money that is generated either through a sale of the shares once the company has grown or through dividends, a discretionary payout to shareholders if the business does well.

There are several types of equity finance such as business angels and venture capitalists. Each type of equity finance varies in the amount of money that is available for investment and the process of completing the deal.

If your business can support a growth rate of a least 20% you are more likely to be able to get equity finance. If you can’t generate a growth rate of at least 20% in your business then you are unlikely to be able to gain equity finance. It is the idea of control and the prospect of higher returns if your business is successful that attracts people to invest in your business

Sadly however many people are still highly reluctant to seek the help of equity finance as they see the idea of it as ‘relinquishing control’ of their business. Many small businesses are especially reluctant if their business is growing fast. As a business owner you should ask yourself the following questions below making any decisions about choosing to use equity finance:

o Are you prepared to give up a share of your business as well as some of its control?

o Are you and your management team confident in the business and the products and services that are on offer?

o Does your business have a unique selling point?

o Do you have drive to grow your business?

o What industry experience and knowledge does your management team have?

You should also consider the following when it comes to obtaining equity finance:

o How much funding do you need?

o How much control are you hoping to retain?

o How long do you need your funds for?

Each business should investigate the options that are open to them when it comes to finance. Equity finance is medium to long term finance and is the perfect type of finance that is open to small businesses, especially if you are an entrepreneurial business. Entrepreneurial businesses are what private equity investors are mainly interested in. This is because they have aspirations and a high potential for growth.

If you are interested in the use of equity finance it is important that you speak to a financial team who can put you in touch with people who will be able to put you in touch with the right investors.