Islamic Approach of Financial Inclusion for Sustaining Subsistence During the Pandemic

Abstract

The occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all countries around the globe including Malaysia. The Malaysian GDP was decreased in 2020 due to the restriction on economic activity imposed by the government as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19, directly affected many industries thus affected individuals working in the industries. Many have lost their jobs due to retrenchment or the closure of business. The number of unemployed individuals also has increased from525.2 thousand in February 2020 to 777.5 thousand in February 2021. Although the government provides aid for subsistence, the aid amount is far from the previous income of the affected individuals and given on periodic basis (not monthly) thus make it hard for the affected individuals to sustain subsistence. Hence, financial inclusion during the pandemic is a critical issue for the subsistence of the affected individuals. This study is a descriptive studyconducted to overcome the issue of financial inclusion on the affected individuals by the pandemic using Islamic approach that is free from riba in order to maximize the assistance that can be provided by the non-profit microfinance institutions (NMIs). Using the method of content analysis, the study found that there are three Islamic financing instruments suitable for financial inclusion during the pandemic which are Islamic microfinance, waqf and zakat. This study suggested these three Islamic financing instruments to be integrated with three financing methods that have been constructed which are full support financing, similar-build operate transfer (BOT) and similar-franchising. It is suggested for further research on the mechanism of each suggested financing methods. The approach of financial inclusion based on Islamic instruments is not for the purpose of profit, but rather to assist the affected individuals in becoming entrepreneurs and enables them to generate their own revenue for their own subsistence, thereby reducing the reliance on ongoing financial assistance by government. Simultaneously, financial inclusion for pandemic-affected individuals would help to preserve the local economy as well as the Malaysian economy as a whole.