Sharia-Compliant financing for public utility infrastructure

Large-scale and long-term infrastructure projects can struggle to find sufficient financing. Globally, there are expanding efforts to mobilize international financial resources. This paper argues that Sharia-compliant financing represents a potential opportunity as a financial resource for public utility projects. Sharia compliance requires consistency of all transactions with Islamic financial principles. This paper describes Sharia-compliant financing principles and criteria, reviews various financing instruments, and summarizes their use in a variety of utility infrastructure projects across the globe.