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This essay focuses on European monetary unification to be completed before the 21st century (1999). In December 1991 in the Dutch city of Maastricht the German Central Bank (Bundesbank) clearly showed that it intends to set and influence the economic policies of all of Europe. Utilizing Game theoretical analysis this paper argues that for Germany a policy of noncooperative leadership is the best strategy. However, for the rest of Europe gaining German cooperation in setting monetary policy is in the community's overall interest. Given the long run need to coordinate policy in a unified Europe, the Bundesbank will cooperate with the rest of EC members. Until the final outcome of this union becomes known, a climate of uncertainty will hover over financial management practices.

In the Euro zone unlike monetary policy, fiscal policy has to be coordinated with the limitations imposed by the Stability and Growth pact. Continuous violations of the Stability and Growth Pact by the powerful members of the European Union such as Germany and France have stymied the progress that has been made in the formation of a single currency. This article examines the delicate nature of this pact and the policies needed to maintain its success. Flexibility of policies in the intermediate may be needed so that members can maintain their positions without paying huge financial penalties.

By 2003, there was a total of 176 Islamic banks around the globe with their total assets close to $147 billion. This article shows that this form of specialized banking may help in promoting growth in these developing economies. During the transition phase of a developing growth economy to a full fledged market based economy many structural changes are required in its financial institutions, especially since the role of a financial intermediary in supplying funds to growing new industries is crucial. At the same time, the potential for destabilization resulting from improper resource allocation, due to either faulty risk assessment or the design of the contract, could be significant. Also, this article examines the implementation of an Islamic banking system and how Islamic banks can provide liquidity and aid in the money creation process through offering transactions accounts with compensation for inflation to risk‐avoiding depositors.

The latest European Union summit in the fall of 2002 revealed that over 11 countries (Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania) have expressed their desire to join the European Monetary Union (EMU) and convert their currency to the “euro”. The European Commission will have to completely equalize interest rates and inflation rates of all these countries before admitting them to join the EMU or there will be arbitrage profits and currency speculation, which will slow down the growth of the overall European Community and negatively affect the value of the euro.