The determinants of opening account with Islamic banks

Abstract

Purpose The Islamic banking system is not very primordial, but recently it is getting popular. Now it becomes a prominent topic to investigate what are the reasons behind it and how it happens. This study aims to identify the influencing factors in the time of opening account in Islamic banks. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive and factor analysis method were carried out to collect the quantitative data using a validated structured questionnaire. This study is based on a survey of 300 clients from Bangladesh who have at least one bank account in any Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Findings The findings of the study revealed that the most important factors influencing the people to open an account in Islamic banks including high Riba (Interest) on saving, ATM facility, confirmation SMS on the transaction, availability of branch service in several locations, lower cost on financing (loan), low initial deposit fee for account opening, employees’ prompt service and their behavior, etc. Also, the other religious people, rather than Islam, start a banking relationship with Islamic banks without any obligation. Research limitations/implications The study focused only on a certain area of Bangladesh. This study could be extended for a different target market, creative strategy, other media and more countries. Practical implications The paper provides guidelines to the management of Islamic banks to decide to attract more customers by focusing on the influencing factors that manipulate a person to open a bank account. Originality/value The research is original. There are very few studies available on this topic, particularly focusing on Bangladesh. Consequently, the research findings have significant implications for Islamic banks functioning in a predominantly Islamic atmosphere.