A study of factors influencing the choice of Islamic Banking among non-muslim customers in Nigeria

Abstract

Islamic finance has exhibited immense potentials to transform the global financial landscape in the recent years. With consistent double digit growth over the years, Islamic finance is gaining attention in various countries around the world. In reaction to the trend, Nigeria introduced Islamic banking system to cater for the need of the teeming population and promote financial inclusion among other potential benefits. Consequently, Jaiz bank began operating as the 1st full-fledged Islamic bank offering Islamic banking services devoid of any social or religious discrimination or favouritism. Unfortunately, the impressive growth recorded by the bank since its inception is slowing down in the face of religiously induced sentiments and criticisms championed by certain non-Muslim segments of the society. Interestingly, despite the mischievous propaganda in circulation, non-Muslims still constitute a significant customer base of the Islamic bank. Hence, this research sought to investigate the factors influencing the choice of Islamic banking among non-Muslim customers using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a conceptual framework. Sequel to a survey and data analyses, subjective norm was found to be the most significant factor influencing the choice of Islamic banking followed by perceived behavioural control and attitude respectively. This research adopted convenience sampling in three of Jaiz banks branches located in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city and only used the components of TBP. Therefore, further research may opt to adopt a more structured sampling technique and extend the sample to be more representative of the population and also incorporate some other variables not captured in TPB. Keywords – Theory of Planned Behaviour, Islamic banking, Nigeria, non-Muslim customers.