Despite being a dynamic hub for the Islamic financial products and services, Malaysia's Islamic fintech landscape does not meet expectations. With a number of challenges such as stringent regulations, lack of adequate funding, shortage of a skilled workforce, fierce conventional competitors etc. the future growth and progress might only remain an unfulfilled dream if they are not addressed timely. This paper is aimed at critically discussing these challenges faced by such companies. Also it aims at proposing potential measures to overcome the highlighted issues. But in order to validate the mentioned challenges and the potential remedies, an interview based approach is employed. The top and middle management of five full-fledged Islamic fintech companies were interviewed with the aim of ensuring whether the mentioned challenges actually exist or not. And whether the proposed solutions are practicable. Based on the findings from the interviews, it is observed that almost all the mentioned challenges are recognized by the companies. Although not all were in consensus regarding every issue, but in general they saw the challenges as legitimate. The proposed solutions were also well received and recognized as beneficial for the companies. Another finding from the interviews was additional challenges the companies saw as worrisome, such as lack of awareness and technological ignorance among the masses. The paper concludes with the recommendation for the relevant authorities to address the highlighted issues with seriousness. Further research may be carried out to provide solutions for the additional issues pointed out by the companies.

The emergence of COVID-19 in late 2019 rapidly shattered the Asia-Pacific region (APR), a bastion of economic dynamism, and it became the epicenter of the global health crisis. This unprecedented pandemic not only triggered a public health catastrophe but also unleashed a financial storm, exposing vulnerability within the region's interconnected economies. This study identifies the factors driving volatility spillovers within Asian-Pacific financial markets during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020-February 2021). We analyze the interplay of pandemic transmission dynamics, government interventions, central bank policies, and socioeconomic variables. Our findings reveal a robust and persistent association between the rising number of COVID-19 cases per million and volatility spillovers. We introduce three novel determinants - the number of intensive care unit beds, population density, and the proportion of the elderly population - which significantly impact volatility transmission in response to new cases. Stringent government measures, such as travel bans and lockdowns, mitigate volatility spillovers. Conversely, central bank policies increase volatility spillovers. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of financial market dynamics in the context of global health emergencies. This knowledge equips policy makers in the APR with valuable tools for navigating future crises.