| Table of Contents: | | | | GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS : RUCIS, Central Asia, Gulf states, China, CIS, Germany, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan | | | | TOPICS : economy, international relations, aid, banking, debt, finance, foreign investment, growth, integration, investment, population, social, foreign policy, poverty, religion | | | | SIGNIFICANCE : In the past two years, Islamic finance has flourished across former Soviet Central Asia. Islamic finance is becoming especially popular in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the first CIS states to develop a legal framework for Islamic banks and other financial institutions. The growth of Islamic finance has not only diversified the banking sector in Central Asia; it has also served as a useful means of strengthening ties with Arab and other Muslim-majority state |
|