A voice of the customer survey of Gulf

Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

What customers want

Customer insights to inform growth

strategies of Islamic banks in the
Middle East

October 2014

www.pwc.com/me

Foreword
Contents
Foreword

Executive summary

A perception gap
An issue for Islamic banks that presents huge
opportunity

Whats important to customers

Aspirations and needs of customers and potential
customers

12

Bricks versus clicks

Technology as a springboard for growth

14

What women want

Looking again at how to grow the female
customer base

16

Contacts

17

Methodology

18

What customers want

The setting is ripe for rapid growth at the GCCs Islamic banks. Growing populations and economies, with high
proportions of Muslims, are creating a market with huge potential. But there are challenges for the Islamic
banking industry in the Middle East; it is a relatively young industry with most Islamic banks being less than
40 years old that are trying to compete, differentiate and grow in a crowded and fragmented regional and
global marketplace. Rapidly changing developments in technology and growing aspirations of customers
make this challenge even greater.
More broadly, Islamic banking is becoming accepted as a significant part of the global banking sector and
as one of the means to increase financial inclusion using an alternative philosophy. Commercially, Goldman
Sachs, the International Finance Corporation, and the governments of the UK, South Africa, and Hong Kong
have used Islamic finance offerings as a way to raise funds and invest using the tenants of Shariah. As Islamic
finance increasingly becomes an institutionalized part of the worlds capital markets, Islamic banks stand to
reap the rewards and Islamic banking assets have the potential to expand rapidly.
However, Islamic banks appear to be finding growth hard to achieve, perhaps because any increase in banking
assets is spread across so many institutions in the region. If they are to differentiate, grow and become market
leaders they need to become more customer-centric, which means understanding and responding to what
customers want. But, what is it customers, and as importantly potential customers, want? Whats important,
and whats not?
To help provide some insight, and we hope to create a debate about the opportunities for the regions Islamic
Banks, we commissioned a survey of retail banking customers to find out. Heres what we found, and what we
think banks might want to consider in their strategies to compete, differentiate and grow.
Ashruff Jamall
Partner, Global Islamic Financial Services Leader

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

Executive summary
Changing demographics
Population pyramids for GCC countries

Values drive decisions:

a perception gap
Islamic values are what primarily drive the
decisions and behaviours of Islamic Finance
customers, however worryingly for Islamic banks
many customers expressed skepticism of Islamic
banks actually living up to these values. Only
half (52%) of existing Islamic bank customers
agreed* with the statement that their provider
was an Islamic bank and followed
Islamic Shariah.

Islamic banks find themselves at crossroads; the

growth they have achieved on the back of religious
faith is beginning to slow down and their customers are
becoming more discerning. There is huge potential for
the regions Islamic Banks but there are challenges
to overcome.
We believe that Islamic banks may be missing a huge
opportunity within the Muslim population due to a
perception problem a perception amongst existing
customers, and potential customers, that Islamic banks
are not true to Shariah values. As an intrinsically valuesbased industry, Islamic banks must address
this perception issue.

A missed opportunity
The survey data suggests that Islamic banks
may be missing a huge opportunity with their
customers, and the Muslim population, due
to a perception gap. Banks looking to grow by
attracting a greater market share of the Muslim
population need to build trust amongst their core
customer base and more clearly communicate
and demonstrate their Islamic values. As an
intrinsically values based industry, Islamic banks
must address this problem of perception.

Service levels are found wanting, and Islamic banks

generally rated lower than conventional banks in terms
of service provision such as well- located ATMs, a good
branch network, a good reputation and good internet
banking products. Unless Islamic banks can narrow the
services gap, and create a customer-centric mindset,
they will find it difficult to continue to win over new
customers, especially given the practical difficulties
of switching bank accounts in the Middle East. This is
especially important as more customers prefer and use
digital platforms such as online and mobile banking.

To best capitalise on the opportunity in the

Islamic banking sector, institutions will need
to realise that merely branding themselves
as Islamic is not enough they cant just talk
the talk, Islamic banks need to walk the talk.
Articulating more clearly the values of the
bank, and clearly demonstrating action and
fulfilment of their values may help banks to
close this perception gap and attract greater
market share of the Muslim population.
Awareness and understanding of
Islamic banking
Just over half of respondents say that they are
familiar with Islamic banking, with 56% of
Muslims and 40% of non-Muslims saying they
are extremely or somewhat familiar with it.
Non-Muslims say they do not use Islamic
financial products because they do not know
enough about them, with 64% citing lack of
awareness as the reason they dont use Islamic
financial services.
The challenge that Islamic banks will face is
converting that awareness into new
banking customers.

Service levels lacking

As the industry matures it will need to transition from

being attractive solely because of its values - adherence
to Shariah principles - to being competitive with and
against other Islamic banks and conventional banks
from a customer service perspective. But, for those that
can get it right, there is huge potential to create a truly
differentiated Islamic Banking offering.

Non-Islamic bank customers were more likely to strongly agree

with My bank provides fast service than Islamic banking
customers. While Muslims more broadly value Shariah
compliance,they ranked similar areas to non-Muslims as the
most important reasons why they use their current bank such
as reputation and brand recognition, the branch network,
and location of ATMs. This changes for existing Islamic bank
customers, 31% of whom said that being Shariah compliant was
the most important factor in why they use their current bank.
Our research finds that retail banking customers are willing to
switch to Islamic banks, but will only do so if they feel that service
levels at least match what they get from conventional banks a
fifth of non-Islamic banking customers tell us they would consider
switching to Islamic banks if service levels of Islamic banking
banks matched their conventional peers. This creates a huge
opportunity for the regions Islamic banks, suggesting that a focus
on enriching the customer experience can help to drive growth.

The growth of the Muslim population

will be double the rate of nonMuslims in the period to 2025
The worlds Muslim population is
forecast to expand by a third (600
million people) by 2030

Islamic banks face a twin challenge

- they must first convince their
natural customer base of Muslims
that the products they offer are
indeed Shariah compliant, then they
need to ensure that service levels at
least match up to that on
offer elsewhere.

* Customers scoring 8, 9 and 10 on a scale where 10 is strongly

agree and 1 is totally disagree

What customers want

Source: UN

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

Rise of the silver economy

What are the main three reasons you chose to work with your
main bank?

Switching or staying-put?

Generally, older Muslims were most aware of Islamic

banking, probably reflecting a greater degree of
importance attached to religious and cultural issues as
people mature.

Non-Muslims are more likely to switch their bank (22%)

than Muslims (15%), but Muslims are more likely
to switch to an Islamic bank if they do change their
accounts.

However, this does not necessarily translate into usage.

The proportion of Muslims using a non-Islamic, or
conventional bank rises with age.

Women are loyal and far less likely to switch providers,

but are relatively inactive customers compared to men.
Its fair to say that a much higher proportion of all women
surveyed had their own bank account than we initially
expected - only 8% of women surveyed did not have an
independent bank account.

The demographics of the GCC mean there will be a huge

increase in the elder population, or silver economy
forecast by 2050, and with it potential for Islamic banks
to grow with the region. Winning, but more importantly
retaining customers from an early age will be more and
more important as customers have the potential to stay
customers for longer. Islamic banks need to reverse the
trend of conventional bank use as customers get older.

Bricks versus clicks

Going Glocal
There are several strong brands that have emerged in the
Islamic banking space. What is lacking though are brands
that exists across multiple countries and are attractive to
the Middle Easts population, which consists of a large
proportion of expatriates. When asked to list the top three
reasons why respondents use their current banks, more
than twice as many non-Islamic bank customers cited
banking with an institution with a worldwide network as
important compared to Islamic bank customers.

Although some Islamic banks are starting to expand

beyond their home countries, in general few can offer
services beyond their home market. When considering
that the worlds Muslim population will expand by a
third (600 million people) by 2030, this becomes
particularly compelling.

Customers who are spending less time in branches are

increasingly using the internet and mobile banking
platform as their most frequent way of interacting with
their bank. For those institutions looking to achieve scale
and grow market share, this behaviour offers Islamic
banks the opportunity to leapfrog the development of
an extensive branch network by creating something
more innovative. Smaller branches designed to deal
with procedures such as account opening and personal
banking may be a better investment, coupled with
developing mobile and internet platforms to capitalise on
how active Muslim customers are on those channels.
Muslim women continue to like/prefer having women
only branches available, but in reality they are rarely
using them. More generally, women (Muslim and nonMuslim) use branches far more than men, but, they
also prefer to use online banking and they cited online
and mobile as very important when selecting a bank.
This suggests that a compelling digital offering could
be a far more significant factor in attracting new female
customers than a much costlier effort to develop a
network of women only branches. Islamic banks that can
create a strong online and mobile offering that appeals
to young females will find themselves with a more loyal
customer base for
the future.
These findings should inform the strategies of the regions
Islamic banks, which are relatively young and still
developing their distribution networks. Expensive outlays
on acquiring branches and segregating female customers
may be obsolete as the importance of visiting a
bank diminishes.

What customers want

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

A perception gap
An issue for Islamic banks that presents
huge opportunity
Penetration levels (those actually using Islamic banking)
are still surprisingly low, especially considering that
our survey was conducted in the GCC. The majority of
respondents (79%) identified themselves as Muslims, with
70% of them being either locals or expatriates from other
Arab nations, suggesting at least some familiarity with
Islam and Islamic banks.
How familiar are you with Islamic Banking?

Of the 53% of respondents who said they were either

somewhat or extremely familiar with Islamic banking, the
most common features they were aware of about Islamic
finance was that it was values based.
What do you know about Islamic Banking?

Adherence to Sharia Laws

27%
No interest rates
Generally, older Muslims were most aware of Islamic
banking, probably reflecting a greater degree of
importance attached to religious and cultural issues as
people mature.
However, this does not necessarily translate into usage.
The proportion of Muslims using a non-Islamic, or
conventional bank rises with age.

20%
Islamic banking products
(Murabaha, Mudaraba..etc)

14%
Age groups
% of Muslims banking with non-Islamic banks

Free from Riba

12%
Adherence to Shariah law, absence of Riba (the Islamic
concept of unjust gain, often equated with interest) and
no interest rates were the main features of Islamic banking
that respondents said they had some knowledge of. A
concern to Islamic banks will be the low scores that they
received from both Islamic banking users and non-users for
facilitating transactions, trustworthiness, and for providing
financial services.

What customers want

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

Islamic banks have undoubtedly benefited from a large

portion of their user base saying that they will choose
Shariah complaint products regardless of the price and
benefits. A total of 55% of existing Islamic bank customers
said they always seek Islamic financial products.
The most pressing issue that Islamic banks must address
is a values perception problem among Muslims. Only half
(52%) of existing Islamic Bank customers agreed* with
the statement that their provider was an Islamic bank
and followed Islamic Shariah. Its evidence of the lack of
faith in the industry, when a significant portion of existing
Islamic bank customers lack trust and it should strike a
chord with Islamic banks.

45% Muslims said they

would switch to an Islamic bank

for religious reasons including to
follow the teachings of Islam or
to avoid Riba

This requires a much broader and deeper process of

educating the public and their own customers. If they can
do that, the benefits for banks could be substantial. Nearly
45% of Muslims said they would switch to an Islamic bank
for religious reasons including to follow the teachings of
Islam or to avoid Riba.
Customers not currently using Islamic banks are more
willing to consider switching to Shariah finance than we
expected:
20% of all non-Islamic bank users said they would switch
to Islamic banking if the services provided were better,
more convenient and easier, of these one third were
Muslims and two thirds were non-Muslims.
12% of non-Islamic bank users would switch for Shariah
values / Islamic standards, these were all Muslims.
If Islamic banks can reassure Muslims that they really are
Shariah complaint and not just dressing up conventional
banking and products as being Shariah complaint, and
at the same time provide products and services that are
competitive against conventional banks, they will reap
great rewards by having a larger universe of possible
customers.
A part of the reason many Muslims are suspicious of
Islamic finance maybe the industrys tendency to mirror
conventional banking products. This lack of innovation
is perhaps also part of the reason why Islamic banks have
so far struggled to truly differentiate themselves in the
mindset of consumers.

* Customers scoring 8, 9 and 10 on a scale where 10 is strongly

agree and 1 is totally disagree

10

What customers want

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

11

Whats important to customers

Aspirations and needs of customers and
potential customers
Service levels and infrastructure are overwhelmingly the
most significant factors for determining which bank a
customer uses. When asked to name the top three reasons
that customers use their current bank, the most popular
responses all related to customer service and ease of use.
The most frequently cited reasons were conveniently
located ATMs, a good branch network, a good reputation,
good internet banking products, and Shariah compliance.
However, Islamic banks generally rated lower than
conventional banks in terms of service, except around
the friendliness of staff and online/mobile
banking products.
In light of the surveys findings about the use of online/
mobile banking, importance of ATMs, and declining
use of branches, Islamic banks may be able to capture
a significant part of the market by developing a wider
network of smaller branches or banking facilities. These
could include a next generation of smarter ATMs that can
handle more of the transactions that people currently use
branches for. These could also fit more easily into regional
population centers like residential districts and malls,
rather than investing in traditional branches. This presents
opportunity to achieve more scale at a relatively lower cost.
Although Shariah compliance was obviously ranked more
highly as a determining factor by Muslims, it was not the
most significant factor. Instead, Muslims and Non-Muslims
ranked similar issues as the most important reasons why
they use their current bank. The top three reasons for
Muslims were reputation and brand recognition, the
branch network, and location of ATMs.
This changes for Islamic bank customers, 31% of whom
said that being Shariah compliant was the most important
factor in why they use their current bank. They seem
to be less interested in service levels as a result. Islamic
customers rated their primary bank significantly lower than
conventional bank customers for having easy processes,
being innovative, providing fast services, and having a
good network of ATMs.

12

What customers want

Only 14% of Islamic bank customers said they thought

their bank provided fast service and 11% said they thought
their bank has easy processes, compared to 20% and
21% respectively for conventional bank customers. This
also showed up in how strongly people agreed with the
statement My bank provides fast service. Non-Islamic
bank customers were more likely to strongly agree with this
statement than Islamic customers.
One area where Islamic banks did score better than
conventional banks was for the friendliness of their staff.
Just under 15% of Islamic customers said their bank had
willing and polite staff compared to 11% for conventional
banks. This is one service orientated area where the
performance of Islamic banks is better than conventional
ones. Non-Muslims respondents said they would happily
switch to an Islamic bank if the service levels matched or
exceeded their current bank.

accounts, with 29% of respondents saying that not likely

to change their accounts in the next 12 months and no
difference the likely of Islamic and non-Islamic customers
to change their accounts.
As 26% of non-Muslims said they chose their current bank
based on personal recommendations, Islamic banks will
perhaps have to improve their services before their current
customers start recommending them to
anybody else.
Islamic banks face a disadvantage when trying to attract
conventional bank customers, due to their lack of a global
network. When asked to list the top three reasons why
respondents use their current banks, more than twice
as many non-Islamic bank customers cited banking with
an institution with a worldwide network as important
compared to Islamic bank customers.

At the moment the figures suggest that Islamic banks

have some way to go before service levels match those of
conventional peers.

Although some Islamic banks are starting to expand

beyond their home countries, in general few can offer
services beyond their home market.

One fifth of non-Islamic bank customers said they would

switch to an Islamic bank if they offered better services
and were more convenient. Other considerations would
also tempt them, with 10% saying that higher profit rates
would encourage them to switch to an Islamic bank, and
17% saying that lower charges would convince them to
switch. In comparison, just 4% of Islamic bank users said
they would switch to another Islamic bank for higher profit
rates, 7% would switch for lower charges, and only 9%
would switch for better services and greater convenience.
Unless Islamic banks can narrow the services gap, they
will find it difficult to continue to win over new customers,
especially given the practical difficulties around switching
bank accounts in the Middle East. This is reflected in how
few people are open to the idea of changing their bank

Given this lack of a global network, Islamic banks will need

to try harder in providing fast and efficient services and
attractive returns, if they hope to attract
conventional customers.

One fifth of non-Islamic bank

customers said they would switch
to an Islamic bank if they offered
better services and were more
convenient

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

13

Bricks versus clicks

Technology as a springboard for growth
Customers are spending less time in branches and more
time engaging with their banks through digital services
like internet and mobile platforms. As a result Islamic
banks, most of which are less than 40 years old, have
the potential to leapfrog the development of widespread
retail outlets and move instead to provide best-in-class
online offerings as a way of attracting and retaining
customers.

Nearly 60% cited the convenience of being able to

bank anywhere at any time without having to visit a
branch, and ease of use, as the reason why they attach
such importance to online banking.

Internet banking is the preferred channel for both men

and women, and 51% of respondents said internet
banking was an important factor in determining who to
bank with.

Just over half of respondents said a good online

banking service was very important when choosing
who to bank with. Both Islamic and non-Islamic bank
customers ranked online banking at about the same
level of importance, but women tended to rank online
banking as more important than men. As both sets of
customers rank online banking as such an important
feature this areas presents a good opportunity for
Islamic banks to boost their offering to appeal to
Muslims and non-Muslims.

Only 8% of women do not have an independent

account and it is significantly higher among nonMuslim females.

Mobile banking featured less prominently, and was

not among the top 10 reasons for choosing a bank for
either Islamic or conventional bank customers.
This is perhaps surprising given the prevalence of
smartphones in the region, but is probably more a
reflection of the slow adoption of mobile services by
the banks, rather than the customers. As penetration
of smartphones increases Islamic banks are wellplaced to invest in developing this area to facilitate the
transfer of customers away from branches and onto
digital platforms.
This should be a compelling investment for Islamic
banks as those customers that do use mobile banking
are strong supporters of it. Several respondents said
that mobile banking was the quickest and easiest way
of interacting with their bank for simple tasks like
transfers and checking statements.

Whilst customers dont cite it as really important

when choosing a bank, mobile banking apps are one
of the most frequently used ways they to interact
with banks. Nearly 50% of respondents that use
mobile banking do so at least weekly. For internet
banking users the figure is 54%. For branch users it
falls to just 7% and 17% for telephone banking.
Muslim customers were also twice as likely to say
that mobile banking was their preferred channel,
compared to conventional bank customers, although
the majority of both Muslim and non-Muslims cited
online as their favourite method of banking.

Given the emphasis customers are putting on digital

channels, Islamic banks also have an opportunity
to attract conventional bank customers if they can
use technology as a way to provide a differentiated
service. Digital channels may well be a better focus
of investment than branches.
Drivers for choosing main bank
The main reason for choosing an Islamic bank is
the fact that it follows the Islamic Shariah. For
conventional banking it is more important to have
conveniently located ATMs

There also appear to be some differences in how

Islamic bank customers interact with mobile and
online banking:
Islamic customers say the services are useful for
making transactions easier and are faster,
Non-Islamic bank customers like the convenience
that mobile platforms offer.
The implication of this could be that Islamic bank
customers are using mobile apps for transactions,
while other customers are simply checking and
monitoring their accounts, which in turn feeds
into the idea that Islamic bank customers are
leapfrogging branch-banking and moving straight to
mobile banking.

What are the main three reasons you choose to

work with your main bank?

As penetration of smartphones
increases Islamic banks
are wellplaced to invest in
developing this area to facilitate
the transfer of customers away
from branches and onto digital
platforms.

14

What customers want

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

15

What women want

Looking again at how to grow the
female customer base
One of the key differentiating factors for Islamic banks
has been their embrace of services designed exclusively
for women. Although this has developed as a result
of cultural and religious factors, it can be extremely
beneficial to Islamic banks.
Women are loyal customers, with far less females open
to the idea of switching their accounts than men. The
survey found that 35% of women would not consider
changing their bank accounts, compared to 25%
of men. Islamic banks could do well to focus more
attention on understanding what women customers
want and how to better serve them. The assumption
that women are best served via female only branches
could soon become outdated and a better model could
be developed around a robust digital strategy.
Our survey found that more women than men visit
branches, while men are the most active users of
internet banking. While at first this may suggest banks
should invest more in female only branches, this may
not be the case - although more women than men visit
branches, they are far less frequent visitors to them.
Only 10% of women said they use a branch more than
once a month, compared to around 30% of men.

safety, offering security in the event of an emergency.

The research suggests that rather than a single online
offering for both genders, men will be more receptive to
a product that saves time and effort, while women want
a platform that is easy to use and offers security in an
emergency. In particular respondents said that being able
to make emergency money transfers or get faster responses
for their bank than through a branch was attractive to
them.
Women are also far less active as customers in general
compared to men. Male customers use every channel
more than females, whether branches, online and mobile
banking, or telephone banking. Nearly 40% of women are
using internet banking at least once a week, compared to
over 60% of men. While less active as customers, women
may be more loyal. 55% of women ranked themselves as
unlikely to switch banks in the next 12 months. Only 35%
of men said the same.
The majority of women have their own independent
bank accounts. Only 8% of women do not have their own
account, and of that minority over half say they intend to
open an account soon.

What customers want

Steve Drake

Prathit Harish

Ebrahim Karolia

Madhukar Shenoy

Waseem Khokhar

Mutahar Abdallah

Andrew Garrett

Mohamed Elmoataz

Amin Nasser

Global Islamic Financial Services Leader, UAE

+971 4 304 3105
[email protected]

Partner, Financial Services Consulting, UAE

+971 4 304 3776
[email protected]

Partner, Financial Services Regulation, Bahrain

+973 1 711 8880
[email protected]

Partner, Assurance, Qatar

+974 4 419 2720
[email protected]

This suggests that a compelling digital offering

could be a far more significant factor in attracting
new female customers than a much costlier effort to
develop a network of women only branches. Bricks
and mortar investment to segregate branches will
increasingly lose value as women use more services
online.

16

Ashruff Jamall

Senior Director, Assurance, Saudi Arabia

+966 11 465 1002
[email protected]

The majority of female respondents said that their

preference is to use online banking. Women also rated
online and mobile banking platforms as very important
when selection a bank.

The challenge for banks will be to ensure that their

digital offering satisfies the demand of female
customers, who appear to want different things to
men. Although the ease of use was the main reason
for women to prefer online banking, they were much
less interested in saving time by using it. Instead more
women than men saw online banking as an issue of

Contacts

Hazem Galal

The assumption that women

are best served via female
only branches could soon
become outdated and a better
model could be developed
around a robust digital
strategy.

Partner, Middle East Capital Markets Leader, UAE

+971 4 304 3421
[email protected]

Partner, Tax, Bahrain

+973 1 711 8884
[email protected]

Managing Partner, PwC Legal, UAE

+971 4 304 3181
[email protected]

Partner, Risk Assurance Services, UAE

+971 4 304 3111
[email protected]

Partner, Middle East Entrepreneurial & Private Clients

Leader, UAE
+971 4 304 3120
[email protected]

Partner, Cities and Local Government Sector Global

Leader, Qatar
+974 4 419 2852
[email protected]

Salmaan Jaffery

Nitin Khanna

Director, Financial Services Consulting, UAE

+971 4 304 3144
[email protected]

Partner, Deals, UAE

+971 4 304 3200
[email protected]

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

17

Methodology

Approach

Quantitative survey

Data
Collection

Online data collection using YouGov

research panel

Sample description
Gender
Males

62%

Females

38%

Age

Fieldwork
dates

September 2014

18-24

15%

25-34

43%

35-44

29%

45-64

13%

Country of residence

Language of
interviewing

Sample
description

18

What customers want

English or Arabic based on respondents preference

UAE

34%

KSA

33%

Other GCC

33%

Other GCC made up of:

We conducted 540 interviews with:

Males and females
Ages 18-64 years old
Coverage: UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),
Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman
Respondents who currently use a bank for personal
banking needs

Bahrain

7%

Kuwait

9%

Oman

9%

Qatar

8%

Nationality per country

UAE

KSA

Other GCC

Locals

15%

63%

35%

Arab Expats

35%

31%

31%

Asian Expats

40%

2%

27%

Westerners

10%

4%

6%

Customer insights to inform growth strategies of Islamic banks

19

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