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KembaraXtra-Islamic Finance-Islamic Capital Market- Stock Screening
• Shari’ah stock screening involves filtering and examining data from a listed company’s latest published annual report
• The purpose is to assess whether a company is Shari’ah-compliant and investable
Objectives of Shari’ah Stock Screening
• To harmonise Shari’ah screening standards with global expectations
• To encourage capital inflows, especially from:
– Asian investors
– Middle Eastern investors
• To increase confidence and participation in the Islamic capital market
Global Adoption of Screening Methodology
• The screening methodology follows practices used by global Shari’ah index providers, such as:
– Dow Jones Islamic Market Index
– FTSE Global Islamic Index
– MSCI Shari’ah Index
• This alignment supports international consistency and credibility
Core Components of the Screening Methodology
The current Shari’ah stock screening methodology consists of two main tests:
1. Quantitative Test
• Examines measurable and numerical factors
• Focuses on:
– the company’s core business activities
– the company’s financial ratios
• Ensures the business is not primarily involved in non-permissible activities
• Uses approved benchmarks to assess compliance
2. Qualitative Test
• Assesses non-numerical and judgment-based factors
• Includes evaluation of:
– the company’s public image
– market perception
– ethical concerns not captured by financial data
• Relies heavily on expert judgement
Requirement for Shari’ah-Investability
• For a company to be classified as Shari’ah-investable:
– it must pass both the quantitative test and the qualitative test
• Failure in either test results in exclusion from the Shari’ah-compliant list
Filtering Procedures in Practice
• The screening methodology applies multiple tiers of filtering
• Aim is to develop a final list of Shari’ah-investable stocks
Order of Filtering
- Quantitative Filtering
• Applied first
• Based on:
– core business activities
– financial ratios
• Uses pre-approved Shari’ah benchmarks - Qualitative Filtering
• Applied after quantitative screening
• Largely dependent on:
– opinions
– fatwas
– assessments of the Shari’ah Supervisory Board (SSB)
Role of the Shari’ah Supervisory Board (SSB)
• The SSB provides authoritative opinions on:
– borderline cases
– ethical concerns
– reputational issues
• Their judgement is crucial in the qualitative screening stage
Key Exam Takeaway
Shari’ah stock screening is a structured process involving quantitative and qualitative tests, applied through multiple filtering tiers, to ensure that only ethically and financially compliant companies are classified as Shari’ah-investable.
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