The Impact of Fintech on Islamic Finance and Capital Markets in Qatar Using Network Analysis

Ahmet Faruk Aysan () and Muhammad Fazlurrahman Syarif ()
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Ahmet Faruk Aysan: Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, College of Islamic Studies
Muhammad Fazlurrahman Syarif: Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, College of Islamic Studies

Chapter 15 in Digital Finance and Transformation in the Gulf, 2026, pp 425-453 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This study investigates how financial technology firms interface with Islamic financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and capital-market venues in Qatar. It aims to map the structural relationships within Qatar’s Islamic-fintech ecosystem and identify the principal hubs, bridges, and peripheral actors that shape market connectivity and innovation diffusion. We assemble a comprehensive relational dataset of formal partnerships, regulatory linkages, and co-partnership agreements among key actors (Islamic banks, the Qatar Central Bank, payment schemes, fintech start-ups, and the Qatar Stock Exchange). An undirected adjacency matrix is constructed, and standard network-analysis techniques—degree strength, betweenness, and eigenvector centralities—are computed. Community structures are detected using the Louvain algorithm, with robustness checks via null-model testing and weighted-edge specifications. The identification of high-centrality institutions and bridging fintech provides actionable insights for regulators and financial institutions seeking to optimize strategic alliances. Start-ups can target hub entities to accelerate market entry, while policymakers can design sandbox initiatives to integrate under-connected segments and strengthen ecosystem cohesion. A more integrated Islamic-fintech network can enhance financial inclusion by extending Sharia-compliant digital services to underserved populations. Network diagnostics inform interventions that broaden access to innovative financial products and improve socio-economic welfare across Qatar. This is the first empirical network-analysis of Qatar’s Islamic-fintech landscape, offering a transferable methodological framework for comparative studies. By bridging abstract network theory with sector-specific data, the paper advances understanding of fintech–Islamic finance convergence in high-growth markets.

Keywords: Fintech; Islamic finance; Network analysis; Qatar; Capital markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-92-1588-1_15

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-92-1588-1_15

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