KUCHING: Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (Bank Islam) now offers a seamless electronic payment facility for customers to fulfil their zakat fitrah (personal tithe) during the month of Ramadan via SnapNPay mobile app.
The mobile app is made available through partnerships with Bank Islam’s strategic partners, SnapNPay Digital Sdn Bhd (SNPD) and 11 participating zakat authorities.
The service is open to everyone and not limited to Bank Islam’s customers. Through the app, registration or personal details are not required. Instead, an email address is sufficient to complete the transaction.
Bank Islam’s chief executive officer Mohd Muazzam Mohamed said the app was part of its efforts in assisting the government to minimise public movements and avoid unnecessary physical contacts during the Covid-19 crisis.
He also said the collaboration with SNPD started in 2018 through their digital app, with aims to further strengthen the bank’s digitalisation effort and enhance its products value proposition to the customers.
“By leveraging SNPD’s technological know-how, the obligatory zakat fitrah payment can be made on a realtime basis. Through this solution, we are bringing technology onto our Shariah solution, delivering a service that caters to today’s needs and more aligned to the current digital trend,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The SnapNPay app can be downloaded for free via AppStore (iOS) or PlayStore (Android). Customers only need to scan Quick Response (QR) code made available or upload the QR Code image from their gallery to make payments. The debiting process can be made from all 29 FPX participant banks in Malaysia.
Besides payment of zakat fitrah, SnapNPay also provides an avenue for users to make donations to Sadaqa House, Bank Islam’s crowdfunding platform aimed at realising projects for the underserved segments including health, education, economic empowerment and environment.
The app also provides convenience for payment of zakat, waqf, iSedekah or other services such as payments to local authorities, government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare, Joint Management Bodies (JMB) and retail stores.
As of April 4, 2020, the download rate of the SnapNPay app has surpassed 65,000, from both AppStore and PlayStore. 90,000 transactions worth close to RM4 million have been recorded.
This Ramadan, Bank Islam and SNPD aim to help collect about 7 per cent to 20 per cent of the annual zakat fitrah collection for the participating states.
