Banking behavior of Islamic bank customers: perspectives and implications

Describes a study designed to investigate the banking behavior of Islamic bank customers in the state of Bahrain. The study sample comprised 300 customers. A comprehensive profile analysis and a series of chi‐square tests were conducted to reveal key characteristics and patterns: the majority of Islamic bank customers are well educated; approximately 80 per cent are between 25‐50 years of age; more than 50 per cent of the surveyed customers have maintained their current banking relationship with Islamic banks for more than six years; customers’ awareness and usage rates are quite high for savings accounts, current accounts, investment accounts and automated teller machines; customers were found to be most satisfied with the products/services they use most, with the investment accounts receiving the highest satisfaction score; Islamic bank employees received the highest satisfaction score among the elements of the service delivery system; the two most important bank selection criteria were adherence to the Islamic principles, followed by the rate of return.