In June 2024, news of the US-Saudi Arabia petrodollar deal expiring after 50 years went viral and within weeks, the US stock market suffered. Reports now claim that there was never such agreement in the first place (Morningstar[1], July 17th, 2024). The premise of said agreement was that Saudi Arabia would price its crude oil exports in US dollars and use proceeds to purchase US Treasury bonds. In exchange, the United States would give the kingdom military aid and equipment. Under said arrangement, Saudi Arabia secured its economic and general […]
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Sustainable Investing: What’s the difference between ESG, SRI and Islamic Investing?
Returns are no longer the only factor to consider when investing. Investors increasingly want companies that are as committed to making the world a better place as they are to making money. The concept of values-based investing is not new, but it has grown significantly in the past few years. Specifically, research shows that SRI, ESG, and impact investment assets have grown from US$3 trillion to US$12 trillion from 2010 to 2018[1]. Other research shows that 95% of all millennials today are willing to participate in socially conscious investing trends […]
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Using Cash Waqf to Combat Donor Fatigue and Blockchain to Improve Accountability
Donating to a multitude of charitable causes can get tiresome after a while. For working-class people who are financially burdened with their own daily needs and monthly expenses, there is also a limited amount that may be set aside, and the constant giving could weigh them down.
Additionally, a great deal of money is donated to fund charitable causes, but it is hard to observe how efficient or effective these efforts are, or whether they reach the intended beneficiaries, in some cases.
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Key Developments and the Rise of NFTs in Singapore
The wider view of the rise of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, is the decentralisation of financial services. With the application of the blockchain and its integration with artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT devices[1] (e.g. NFCs and RFIDs), finance has become more efficient and accessible. There are several key drivers that are making decentralised finance work _ tokenisation of real-world assets, maturity of stable coins and the improved implementation or acceptance of some regulations and standardisation.
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Digital Currencies and Their Adoption in Singapore
MONEY, FIAT CURRENCY AND CRYPTOCURRENCIES
The three main functions of money are as a unit of account, medium of exchange and store of value. Cash is a financial instrument and physical asset that combines four features: (i) it is anonymous; (ii) it is universal (anyone can take possession); (iii) it is exchanged peer to peer (without knowledge of the issuer); and (iv) it does not yield any interest by itself[1]. Banks are the traditional money creators and maintain their inimitability at keeping reserves at the central banks (CBs).