Focus and Scope

Aims of the Journal

Ethiconomics: Journal of Islamic Banking and Finance focuses on the development of theory and practice in Islamic banking and finance, and on the interaction between Sharia-compliant financial principles and contemporary social, ethical, and developmental issues across developing countries, including Muslim-majority and plural societies. The journal publishes research papers, case studies, and conceptual reviews, and seeks to advance innovative, comparative, and interdisciplinary scholarship that situates Islamic financial instruments within concrete institutional, regulatory, and political-economic contexts from Islamic banks and capital markets to microfinance institutions, zakat and waqf bodies, and emerging Sharia fintech.

Ethiconomics positions Islamic banking and finance as both a normative and a practical force for expanding financial inclusion, strengthening institutional governance, promoting social justice, and connecting Sharia-compliant systems to real-world economic transformation. The journal prioritizes academic contributions relevant to the global and local dynamics of the Islamic finance industry, with particular attention to how these instruments advance inclusive economic growth and contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the Global South.

Scope of Coverage

Ethiconomics publishes in-depth studies across the following thematic areas:

01 Management and Operations of Islamic Banking Efficiency strategies, risk management, profitability analysis, and operational models of Islamic banks, including liquidity management, governance structures, and performance within dual-banking and resource-constrained environments (SDG 8, SDG 9).

02 Comparison of Financial Systems Comparative studies of Islamic and conventional banking systems in terms of structure, regulation, stability, and performance, including the institutional and supervisory frameworks that shape their relative resilience (SDG 8, SDG 16).

03 Islamic Financial Contracts and Product Innovation Analysis of contracts such as murabahah, musyarakah, mudarabah, and ijarah, and the design of contemporary Sharia-compliant products, with attention to their Sharia governance and real-economic application (SDG 8, SDG 9).

04 Islamic Microfinance and Sharia FinTech Sharia-based microfinancing, halal fintech business models, and the expansion of financial inclusion through digital technology, including the outreach and long-term sustainability of these models among underserved populations (SDG 1, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 10).

05 Management of Zakat, Productive Waqf, and Islamic Microfinance Institutions (IMFIs) Governance, distribution effectiveness, and the role of zakat, productive waqf, and IMFIs in empowering community economies, including transparency, accountability, and impact measurement in Islamic social finance (SDG 1, SDG 10, SDG 16).

06 Islamic Capital Markets and Halal Investments Studies on sukuk, Islamic equities, Sharia market indices, and investment strategies grounded in Islamic principles, including the mobilization of capital for developmental and socially responsible ends (SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 17).

07 Technology in Islamic Finance The application of technologies such as blockchain, smart contracts, and i-FinTech in developing the Islamic financial system, including their implications for efficiency, integrity, and Sharia compliance (SDG 8, SDG 9).

08 Islamic Economic Ethics and Sustainable Development The role of Islamic finance in promoting social justice, inclusive economics, and the integration of Sharia-compliant financial systems into national development agendas, including their alignment with ethical and sustainability objectives (SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 16).