Islamic Blended Finance for Funding Small and Medium Enterprises: Special Reference to the Gambia

In this research, we adopted a financial engineering methodology to design financial products by blending the motives of compassion, profits and facilitation, that underlie respectively, the philanthropic, commercial and public sector activities. Our focus has been on an engineered product that we call "Islamic Blended Finance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)" with special reference to The Gambia but with general relevance. Financial contracts could be incentive compatible and effective if these three motivations are recognized and brought together. The purpose of our research is to offer such incentive compatible structures that can mobilize funding for socially responsible and impactful SMEs, save cost as well as generate revenue for self-sustainability. Since the blended nature of the contract provides social subsidy to fund the cost element of the financing for SMEs through Islamic Social Funds, Islamic blended finance creates a win-win result for the blending parties. While financial institutions expand into the SMEs sector for profitability, Islamic blended finance is expected to attract additional resources towards enhancing development impact. Through the philanthropic component, SMEs, on the other hand, will access cost subsidy on financing that will relieve the burden of exorbitant rates. The funding structure is also expected to reduce risk perception and spur growth. Consequently, achieving multidimensional human development, Maqasid al-Shariah, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and The Gambia National Development Plan (GNDP). Impactful business for The Gambia must integrate environmental, social and governance principles as well as a national development plan. In this study, we propose a social subsidy institutional framework using the concept of blending finance, its rationale and context in SDGs and Islamic microfinance to incentivize private sector participation and wealth creation. The Gambia can reverse its economic challenges by harnessing its Islamic Social Funds.