Digital Green Waqf and Sustainable Development: Insights from a Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This study aims to examine the development of the literature on Digital Green Waqf and its contribution to sustainable development through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. The research employed the PRISMA protocol to identify relevant articles from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Emerald Insight covering the period 2015–2024. From an initial pool of 1,247 publications, a total of 47 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in depth using thematic analysis, bibliometric analysis, and content analysis. The findings indicate that scholarly interest in Digital Green Waqf has increased significantly since 2018, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. Four dominant themes were identified in the literature: waqf digitalization, sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), governance and regulation, and business model innovation. The digitalization of waqf through blockchain, Islamic fintech, crowdfunding, and tokenization has demonstrated strong potential to enhance transparency, efficiency, and public participation. Meanwhile, the concept of Green Waqf highlights the relevance of waqf as both a social and green financing instrument to support the achievement of the SDGs, particularly in poverty alleviation, education, healthcare, clean energy, and climate action. Nevertheless, the development of this ecosystem continues to face several challenges, including regulatory fragmentation, low levels of digital literacy, limited managerial capacity among nazhir (waqf managers), and issues of public trust. This study concludes that Digital Green Waqf holds substantial strategic potential as an inclusive and value-based source of sustainable financing rooted in Islamic principles. Therefore, adaptive regulation, institutional strengthening, product innovation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration are essential to optimize its role in advancing sustainable development.