Although difficult to measure, experts estimate that Islamic investments have to date attracted between $700bn and $1000bn globally. All agree, however, that the market has been growing fast, at a rate of between 5% and 7% a year over the past 10 years, thanks to a larger and richer investor pool.
Despite having become somehow fashionable - to the point where, in March last year, the Vatican not only paid notice to Islamic finance, it also applauded its ethical philosophy - sharia-compliant investments are still mostly of interest only to the Muslim communities, and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region and south-east Asia are home to the largest pools of Islamic investors.
