An empirical analysis of stock market participation: from an Islamic perspective

Purpose - In the verge of assessing Muslims’ participation in stock market, present study delved into evaluating the influence of Islamic religiosity (IR) on Muslim investor’s financial engagement factors with respect to stock market (i.e. financial literacy [FL], Islamic financial literacy [IFL], behavioural factors [BF], Shariah compliance [SC], technology adoption [TA] and institutional support [IS]), stock market participation (SMP) and financial well-being (FWB). Further, this study aims to examine the mediating role of IFL, TA and SMP and moderating role of IS. Design/methodology/approach - Using a mixed-methods approach, a structured survey questionnaire was administered and responses have been collected from 319 Muslim investors from South India using stratified random sampling. Further, data was analysed using SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 20.0 by implementing one-way ANOVA, measurement model and structural equation model to assess the differences, mediating and moderating roles. Findings - In this study, it is discovered that IR significantly impacts Muslim investor’s financial engagement factors, SMP and FWB. Further, it is explored that IFL accelerates the impact of FL and SC on SMP. The results also demonstrated the intervening role of TA in enhancing SMP through BF and the mediating role of SMP among Muslim investors with strong IR to attain and enjoy FWB. Interestingly, our study also argued that when the IS is more, the effect of IR on SMP is high. Research limitations/implications - Geographical boundaries are restricted to India, where the study proposes future studies in Islamic countries to better understand the religious belief system of the investors, as SC may vary in different countries. Practical implications - In accordance with the results, it is recommended that the regulatory bodies and institutions intervene, support and incorporate IFL and also provide user-friendly Tec platforms to monitor and filter stocks and financial products for SC. Social implications - The present study intends to tackle the misconception of Islamic values with respect to participating in the stock market and recommends to undertake policy and regulatory framework to ensure the inclusive development of this community. Originality/value - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies so far have pondered on the mediating role of SMP in enhancing the effectiveness of IR on their FWB. Further, this study collectively examines the influence of IR on various financial engagement factors affecting SMP leading to FWB.