Research guide: The 2007 guide to Opportunities & Trends in Islamic Finance

Modern Islamic finance has a history stretching back more than three decades. But many bankers believe 2006 will prove to be the breakout year in its evolution – when a niche play finally went mainstream. The stigma that Islamic financial products struggled to overcome – they were once seen as instruments suited only to Muslims' religious beliefs – has been shed as banks proffer an ever more sophisticated array of Sharia-compliant products to a market whose appetite shows few signs of abating.