Undoubtedly, the emergence of cryptocurrencies has imposed the challenge of addressing their Shariah issues. These issues include the very permissibility of their issuance in view of the fact that they are not backed by real valuable assets or supervised by financial authorities, which makes their holders vulnerable to possible fraud and manipulative fluctuations in their values.
The adoption of the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by the UN member nations is of great importance. These goals seek to ensure that no single individual is left behind, and everyone is carried along. Key to achieving these goals is to ensure the availability of data and skills necessary for interpreting such data. Paucity of data is a major issue faced by several developing countries towards achieving the sustainable developing goals. Non-traditional data sources can augment and compliment the traditional data sources in planning and monitoring the implementation of the SDGs.
Two of the key priorities of the Arab world in the coming years are to develop and deploy clean technologies (cleantech) needed to combat the adverse effects of climate change in the region; and to diversify domestic economies to become low carbon economies with greater prospects for green jobs. However, despite broad political discussions of these policy goals, several countries in the Middle East and North African (mena) region continue to lag in terms of the level and adequacy of entrepreneurial cleantech start-up activities.