The regulatory framework and strategy of participation (Islamic) banks in Turkey : issues and challenges

Abstract

Despite having a long history of Islam, not much research has examined Participatory (Islamic) banking in Turkey. The legacy of strong Islamic law, the majority Muslim population, and the strategic location of the country have not been able to boost the market share of Participation banks in this country. This research has explored the issues and challenges faced by Participation banks, especially on legal and regulatory framework and propose strategies for developing them. This study is a qualitative study as a main method that takes data from various works of literature, namely books, journals, and other sources. Primary data also been explored by conducting in-depth interview with the experts regarding these issues. The interview is conducted in three big cities in Turkey, namely Istanbul, Konya, and Ankara in December 2019. Basically, they were bankers, Islamic scholars, participation bank officers and academicians. Meanwhile, this research also applied a quantitative approach to answer the fourth (the last) question of the research objective. Analytic Network Process (ANP) was used as the method of analysis. This research found that government support stands as the first priority from opportunity aspect. Islamic bank in Turkey also needs to be aware on the absence of separate law as the main priority of threats aspect. Another finding shows that separate law and regulation is the main strategy to enhance participation banks in Turkey. This study could serve as reference point for the regulator in formulating appropriate policy strategies to increase market share of participatory banks in Turkey. This research is also expected to be able to contribute to enriching scientific studies in an effort to popularize Islamic banking in Turkey.

Keywords: Participation Bank, Turkey, Issues and Challenges, legal and regulatory framework, Strategy.