KUCHING: Standard Chartered Saadiq Malaysia and Pusat Pungutan Zakat Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (PPZ-MAIWP) have signed an agreement for the bank to offer zakat collection services to clients via the bank’s digital banking platform.
The collaboration is to minimise physical engagement during the pandemic, also providing convenience for Muslims working overseas to channel zakat back to Malaysia.
Standard Chartered Saadiq Malaysia CEO Mohd Suhaimi Abdul Hamid said that the bank placed a lot of emphasis on improving digital adoption.
“Digital banking penetration among our clients has always been strong, even before the pandemic. Currently, close to 45 per cent of our retail clients use digital banking of which 95 per cent of transactions are performed digitally.
“We plan to strengthen our digital offerings and to further position Standard Chartered Saadiq as the best Islamic digital bank in Malaysia – recognition we have received from Global Finance for three consecutive years,” he said in a press statement on Tuesday (June 23).
“The online zakat collection service is not limited only to our clients locally but also globally,” he explained.
PPZ-MAIWP CEO Ahmad Shukri Yusoff said that the team continually sought collaboration with various partners and channels, with a focus on digital platforms, to ensure that Malaysian Muslims would be able to conveniently fulfil their zakat obligations.
“We have seen a huge jump in the number of contributors who made payment for zakat fitrah via online channels this year due to Covid-19, and we believe that the number will increase even after the pandemic.
“By partnering with Standard Chartered, we are assured that the payments will be handled efficiently and securely. We are also pleased that the arrangement will benefit Malaysian Muslims who are working overseas who wish to pay their zakat back home,” he concluded.
