IT was still early in the morning when Yati Suhartini left for Mandiri Sharia Bank on Jalan Tole Iskandar in Depok, just outside Jakarta, on Thursday last week. The mother of two went early to avoid queuing, arriving 15 minutes before the bank opened for business at 8am. Yati, a resident of Kampung Sukmajaya, came not to deposit or draw money, but to pawn her jewelry. "I need additional funding to renovate my house," she said.

Yati took with her a g