Dear dedicated readers,
Welcome to the first issue of IF HUB in 2022. I hope the year has kicked off well for everyone, albeit many countries worldwide have announced that they have entered the endemic phase of COVID-19. May Allah protect us from any misery and misfortune and keep bestowing His blessings and bounties upon us.
In continuation of our previous discussions on sustainability and fintech, this issue still lingers on the importance of integrating the environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in corporate strategies to create long-term business resilience, with a focus on the ‘S’ aspect. The impact of COVID-19 on the socioeconomic status of the unserved and underserved segments of the community has indeed been devastating, hence compelling different Islamic finance stakeholders to take more proactive measures.
Our scholars at the INCEIF University (our newly rebranded name), for example, have partnered with various organisations to push the ‘S’ agenda forward through pioneering research innovations as featured in the Research Highlights column. The INCEIF University Social Responsibility (USR) initiatives have been launched since end-2021 to promote more community empowerment programs. This is featured in our section on Event Updates.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my special thanks to our dear Asst. Prof. Dr Ziyaad Mohamed, who has consistently been contributing his thought-provoking ideas to IF HUB. And let me not forget our enthusiastic alumni and students, who are always keen to share their intellectual contributions with our readers.
Finally, wishing everyone a blissful Ramadan. May Allah accept all our good deeds in this blessed month.
Happy reading and stay safe!
Dr Marjan Muhammad
Editor-in-Chief
