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Alexander Wolters – Islamic Finance in Central Asia: From ‘Great Potentials’ to Lasting Stagnation
9 November, 2016 @ 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
The rise of Islamic Banking in Central Asia has been predicted and expected by both experts and state and economic stakeholders. The financial crisis in 2008 had triggered first initiatives to launch sharia’h conforming financial businesses in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, yet most enterprises never managed to survive this early stage of development. The presentation discusses the circumstances of the evolution of start-ups of Islamic finance in the region as well as presents arguments to account for the following stagnation.
Dr. Alexander Wolters is DAAD Visiting Professor at the OSCE Academy and the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek. He has worked in Kyrgyzstan and the wider region of Central Asia for more than 10 years and completed his PhD in political sociology at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, in 2012. In his work he focuses on the evolution of the political system in Kyrgyzstan following the turbulent times in the republic after 2005. He has further conducted research on social mobilization in Central Asia, Islam and Islamic movements, as well as educational policies and the role of public opinion.
