A Comparative Analysis on Bankers’Perceptions on Islamic Banking

This research was conducted to gauge the perceptions of employees, in both Islamic banks and conventional banks, of Islamic products and services, of the training and experience gained in Islamic banking, as well as of the future potential of Islamic banking in Malaysia. Questionnaires were distributed to bankers dealing with Islamic banking in the northern part of Malaysia. The results revealed that bankers in Islamic banks have more positive perceptions on the above issues. Interestingly, most of the bankers did not possess a relevant academic background or relevant experience in Islamic banking before embarking on this career. The bankers also claimed that they have very limited knowledge in this area prior to working with the banks, thus the issue of the availability of well-trained and skilled employees must be addressed critically by the government, industry players and educationists for the sustainable growth of Islamic banking in Malaysia, and to meet the set target by the year 2010.