DBS introduces DBS eGifts for Eid

Source: DBS. DBS eGifts are now available for Eid.

Although safe distancing measures in place this Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya Puasa), the Muslim community in Singapore can still continue to preserve the tradition of exchanging green packets and well wishes digitally with DBS eGift, via DBS PayLah!.

Said Jeremy Soo, MD and Head of Consumer Banking Group (Singapore), DBS Bank, “The season of Ramadhan and Hari Raya is an important time for the Muslim community to celebrate as well as strengthen bonds among families and loved ones. In these unprecedented times, we are heartened to see individuals and communities looking to alternative ways to mark this special occasion, in order to keep everyone safe. We hope that our Hari Raya-themed DBS eGifts will help keep the spirit of exchanging well wishes via green packets alive, as they celebrate within their family households.”

Customers simply need to use DBS PayLah!, a mobile payment platform with close to 1.8 million users, to send and receive a DBS eGift. To send an eGift, tap on the ‘Pay’ button on DBS PayLah!’s dashboard and toggle on the ‘Send as eGift’ function after entering the desired amount and message. Givers should check that they are sending the eGift to official mobile numbers used by recipients to register for DBS PayLah! and/or PayNow*. The eGift can also be sent to mark other occasions all-year round such as birthdays and weddings, as well as Mother’s Day on 10 May and Father’s Day on 21 June.

Till 20 June 2020, those who successfully send or receive a DBS eGift are eligible to participate in the DBS PayLah! eGift contest. The top 200 users every week who make qualifying transactions of at least S$2 per transaction in a week stand a chance to win a cash prize of S$18 each. A qualifying transaction is defined as a successful DBS PayLah! eGift transaction between a unique giver-receiver pair (i.e. multiple transactions between the same giver-receiver pair are counted as one transaction). Each qualified user may win the weekly cash prize once throughout the contest.

DBS was the first bank to launch the first digital red packet in Singapore in 2015. This year, DBS eGift drew over 16,000 new eGift users and saw an increase of 20% in total amounts transacted during Chinese New Year compared to last year.

*PayNow is a peer-to-peer funds transfer service available to retail customers of nine participating banks in Singapore, including DBS/POSB. Launched in July 2017, PayNow enables customers to instantly send and receive Singapore dollar funds from one bank to another in Singapore through Fast And Secure Transfers (FAST) by using their mobile number or Singapore ID. This allows senders to do away with the recipient’s bank and account number when transferring money.

Go digital for halal travel, but don't forget the human element

From left: Nisha (moderator), Neollene, Sarangi and Kuwadekar.

There is a digital aspect to every part of the consumer journey for halal travel, but the personal touch remains important. This was a key takeaway from a panel titled Going Digital: How Online Has Shaped Muslim Travel Behavior at the Halal in Travel Asia Summit, which had the theme Innovation & Technology in the Muslim Travel Space.

"If the world sees there is money in it, it'll all fall into place automatically," said Shinjan Sarangi, Head of Business Development, Halaltrip and CrescentRating.

Sarangi said Muslims had been missing the halal element from travel prior to the advent of digital halal travel specialists such as Halaltrip. "They were compromising on that, struggling to find relevant content," he said. "We ensure that all of them are aware that you don't have to compromise."

Halaltrip, which has rated a number of destinations in terms of their Muslim friendliness, wants to make sure that Muslim travellers are "exposed to all the options", Shinjan said. "You don't have to restrict your options to just Malaysia or the Middle East or Turkey," he said. "The minute that you can offer the consumer something that is meant just for them, you have their attention, you're looking at a loyal stream of customers."

Nisha Abu Bakar, Founder, Elevated Consultancy & Training, noted that there is still very little awareness in the travel and tourism space about the clout of the Muslim traveller, let alone how to support halal travel.

"The 1^st thing is the knowledge - it's just not there," she said. "When you start talking numbers.. then people start to buy the idea and say they are receptive to it."

The Mastercard-Halal Trip Digital Muslim Travel Report (DMTR) 2018 was released at the event, and revealed that online travel expenditure by Muslim travellers will exceed US$180 billion by 2026.

Nisha added that it is important to stress that minor, incremental changes may be needed. "It's like not a (full) prayer room, just a clean space for prayer... when you break it down then the industry becomes more receptive to say 'tell us a bit more'," she said.

Content sourced online

Neollene Ain, Filmmaker, Photographer and digital Muslim travel influencer known for her Instagram outreach at @neollene, said that she would research itineraries online. "The first thing is to find halal food. Some travellers need a proper place to pray, they look for a mosque, a prayer room... sometimes we can find other (places) to pray, just a proper place, like a clean room to pray," she said.

"We are searching for Muslim-friendly hotels that can provide halal food for breakfast, other travellers are looking a rest room that is Muslim-friendly, for example some of them are looking for a bidet in the restroom."

Safer payments

Devesh Kuwadekar, VP, Market Development, Mastercard, said the digital nature of travel now means that stakeholders must embrace mobile payments. "It's important to understand that people now look at your smartphone not as a computer but as a purchasing device. Every device can be used to make purchases," he said. "It's important that consumers can make a payment that is safe and secure. People want customised options. People want safety and security, and we are there to help them."

Human element

Sarangi added that the role of travel influencers and reviewers is very important. "There first needs to be information about the place. I need somebody to go there, (whom) I look up to and is driving the decision on whether to go there," he said.

"Hopefully there will be enough Neollenes for people to see, that they have set the tone to say 'it is safe, I have been there'."

Wider ecosystem

Kuwadekar noted that the halal travel discussion is focused on hotels and airlines, food and beverage; but there are other players in the ecosystem. "We're missing a lot on the airports, the duty free operators which are part of the journey," he said. "There could be possibly a trinity of airlines, airports, and hotels who work together to address the Muslim travellers because that's a complete journey."

Sarangi believes that the touchpoint for Muslim travellers will always remain travel agents. "When it is a niche market with specific requirements you'll go to people who understand," he said. "We go to travel agents because they understand our needs better."

On Neollene's wishlist is a platform where Muslim travellers around the world can connect with local Muslims at their travel destinations. "How can I find a local friend who can help me travel and find a place to eat? In my Instagram I can connect with a lot of people around the world. I ask my followers (if we can meet). It would be nice (to) connect on that platform," she said.

The US$180 billion Muslim travel market was a key segment at October's ITB Asia 2018, which hosted the Summit. A new Muslim Travel Hub and Pavilion was launched at the show to field discussions on halal travel and feature exhibitors that offer related travel products and services respectively.

By 2020, it is expected that there will be 156 million Muslim travellers, growing nearly 30%
since 2016*.

Hashtags: #halalintravel, #itbasia2018

*https://ecommerceiq.asia/halal-travel-industry-millennials/consumer mega brands

KSA launches Smart Hajj for digital Hajj services

Source: Saudi government portal. Banner for the Smart Hajj initiative.

The KSA Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has launched the Smart Hajj initiative in line with Saudi's Vision 2030.

Located on the Saudi government portal, Smart Hajj consolidates digital services and apps for pilgrims. Available information includes definitions of the rituals required, geolocation services between holy sites, and government applications. This launch was an effort to introduce a new phase that is overseen by the wise leadership of the Kingdom.

Apps listed include:

Al Maqsad, for offline geolocation within the Grand Mosque

Manasikana, for places of interest and directions to them

Hajj and Umrah Navigator, a map app that focuses on Makkah and Madinah

Tanwiah, for water-related information including washrooms and Zamzam water distribution

Health, with a list of doctors and medical advice

All apps have links to both the App store and Google Play.

Bank Islam partners with Cognizant for digital Islamic banking

Bank Islam Malaysia today announced a strategic collaboration with Cognizant, a global business and technology consulting firm, to lay the foundation of digital banking across the Bank’s entire network. 

The agreement was signed by Khairul Kamarudin, CEO, Bank Islam, and Effendi Azmi Hashim, Malaysia Business Leader, Cognizant, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "Bank Islam will continue applying digital technology to our products and services, bringing greater accessibility to our customers, as well as simplifying and improving their banking experience with us,” said Khairul.

By capitalising on digital technologies, Bank Islam will be able to transform Islamic banking as envisioned by Bank Negara Malaysia. Cognizant’s Head of Asia-Pacific, Jayajyoti Sengupta said: “For banks of the new digital economy, leadership is about delivering hyper-personalised products, services, and experiences to customers across channels by continually turning digital data into actionable insights. We are proud to be a part of Bank Islam’s vision to transform itself into a digitally-led bank of the future.

“By leveraging our extensive consulting and digital banking capabilities, we look forward to creating a business, operating and technology roadmap for Bank Islam to realise the full promise of digital in driving greater customer satisfaction and differentiated growth. The opportunity to partner with a leading financial services institution such as Bank Islam marks an important milestone in our growth journey in Malaysia.”

Bank Islam has always strived to design innovative solutions to transform customer experience. By partnering with Cognizant to build a digital bank, the bank is taking a big leap into the future to deliver innovative solutions to small and medium sized enterprises and customers across country, and integrate them seamlessly into the developing digital economy in Malaysia. 

Digitalisation will help Bank Islam accelerate SME banking by providing business solutions for their operational as well as expansion needs. It will enable the bank to rapidly tap the rural, underbanked segments and boost financial inclusion by overcoming cost and physical barriers. Bank Islam will be able to combine its energy, continuous innovation and imagination of fintech startups with its solid balance sheet, trust, customer service and banking expertise. 

Bank Islam Malaysia was established in 1983 as the nation’s first Islamic bank. To date, the bank has a network of 147 branches and more than 1,200 self-service terminals nationwide. To meet the diversity of the public’s financial needs, Bank Islam offers more than 70 shari'ah-based banking products and services.

Alizz Islamic Bank sees new social media milestone

Alizz Islamic Bank has reached the milestone of 100,000 Facebook likes. The bank is the first and only Islamic bank and one of only two banks in Oman to experience such popularity on Facebook.

With a strong belief in the power of social media to improve customer service, Alizz Islamic Bank has significantly enhanced its overall social media presence in the past year. In addition to its Facebook achievements, the bank is the first and only Islamic bank in Oman to cross the 30,000-follower milestone on Instagram. 

Alizz Islamic Bank is now the second-most followed bank in Oman, ahead of many of the more established conventional banks and one of only two local banks that have a Snapchat presence.

Alizz Islamic Bank's strong social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn continues to stand out amongst local financial institutions by emphasising the significance of the 'human touch' to start a two-way conversation with the audience, engaging with them on topics of their interest, the bank said. By integrating social media into the banks existing campaigns or creating new ones that capitalize on the spirit of the Omani community, Alizz Islamic Bank has successfully raised the profile of its brand and said marketing using social media has brought solid results.

"We are dedicated to keeping our customers at the heart of everything we do and engaging with them on their platform of choice. Our social media channels give a sense of community with our social media followers; focusing on engagement and listening to what they want. Alizz Islamic Bank is proud to be at the forefront of digital tool adoption. As people rely more and more on social media to receive information and communicate, it is crucial that we as an organisation embrace digital strategies in marketing. Social media enables us to engage with customers more efficiently and with greater precision," said Moosa Al Jadidi, COO, Alizz Islamic Bank.

"Our social media channels are not just about advertising but rather about creating a connection with our customers and providing them with a plethora of channels to interact with us, as well as provide us with feedback and ask questions. We have the best online response time amongst local banks and this is what sets us apart from others and has been central to our success on every social media platform." 

Ramadhan digital activity is unique in the Middle East

Source: Think with Google website. Changes in statistics for Musalsalat, a hub for a Ramadhan TV series, during the month.

Ramadhan requires specific digital marketing optimisation techniques in the Middle East and North Africa, says the Think with Google blog. According to blog authors Vrinda Singh, Google Analytical Consultant, David Lacklen, YouTube Specialist, and Younis Maqousi, Google Analytical Consultant, people access the Internet more often on their mobile devices, watch more YouTube videos, and use search engines more often during the month.

"We also notice that during Ramadhan people are more willing to engage with brands, they watch more ads on YouTube and they share, like and comment more. This heightened engagement behaviour is then sustained for the remainder of the year, so establishing a strong presence in Ramadhan is crucial for long term success," say Singh, Lacklen and Maqousi.

According to Google, average view duration during Ramadhan increases by 11%, users subscribe at 13% more quickly, and commented 57% more during Ramadhan 2016 compared to the rest of the year.
The top six learnings from top Ramadhan ads in 2016, garnered through the inaugural Lantern award, are:

1. Do multi-part stories

2. Think like a service provider, such as a bank or telco

3. Engage people

4. Try different ways to tell the story

5. Consider not using a celebrity

6. Eid is a good focus, too

Timing is important, too. The Ramadhan build-up begins a month before the start. Searches for recipes are 50% higher than the annual average at the start of the month, and cooking videos on Youtube increase in views a month before, spiking at almost 30% higher than average in the first week of Ramadhan. Think with Google says that there is a 44% decrease of viewership between the first and last week of Ramadhan, and 25% more viewership during the month than in other months.

Source: Think with Google page. Spikes in searches for recipes during Ramadhan.

Internet activity is typically up in the hours before the fast is broken, and down thereafter, for example. According to the blog authors, UAE food delivery queries go up 144% between 1pm and 7pm. The busiest search times for restaurant information then comes between 6 PM and 8 PM - just around iftar, but continues until around 2am.

There are more searches around faith and religion, particularly for music and film, but also animated movies, possibly to entertain children, the blog authors said. Other popular searches were for keywords around luxury vehicles, fashion and beauty.

Interested?

Browse the detailed statistics for Ramadhan digital behaviour in Ramadan Insights part 1, about data mining and insight generation

Watch the top videos of Ramadhan 2016 on Ramadan Insights part 2, about creative development

Read the Ramadan Insights part 3 post on designing a campaign

Worldreader to expand Read to Kids Program to serve Syrian and host communities in Jordan

Worldreader, a global non-profit that believes everyone can be a reader, plans to expand its Read to Kids Program to serve Syrian refugee and host communities in Jordan. The programme supports parents and caregivers to become their children's first teachers, enabling and encouraging them to read to their young children using their mobile phones.

The Read to Kids mobile reading programme in India cultivated more than 60,000 readers over nine months through support from Pearson. Worldreader is now committing to expanding into Jordan to help Syrian and Jordanian children become lifelong readers. The organisation will work with Arabic publishers and partners to digitise and disseminate high-quality Arabic children's reading books to 50,000 households across the country. The programme will also work with educators and publishers to curate a psychosocial collection of books and activities that encourages stories and reading as a safe way to explore emotions and generate healing.

"Encouraging parents to get engaged in their children's learning through reading books has been outlined as a key priority of Jordan in 2016. The research is clear on the importance of reading for brain development and long-term success in children's lives. We are pleased to work with Worldreader be able to offer this innovative programme to the people of Jordan as well as the Syrian nationals who have sought refuge within our country," said HE Dr Omar Razzaz, Jordan's Minister of Education.

Parents and caregivers will be able to access this programme from an Internet browser on their mobile phone or by downloading the Read to Kids app from the Google Play Store. The books are curated to match children's interests and developmental readiness from birth through age 12.

Worldreader plans to launch Read to Kids Jordan in late 2017. The programme will be made possible through a US$1 million grant from private philanthropic organisation Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), with additional support from Jordanian social and education entities. The organisation is seeking additional funding and support from organisations wishing to help promote reading and education to refugees in Jordan.

"Worldreader is an exemplary organisation providing critical literary resources to enhance children's learning and educational development," said Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the SNF. "SNF is proud to partner with Worldreader on Read to Kids Jordan, a critical initiative that aims to support early literacy programmes for 50,000 Syrian and Jordanian children, and as a foundation to continue to respond to the devastating crisis and its impact on refugee and host-community children."

"At a time when world leaders are closing their doors to refugees, conflict-affected families need every tool to ensure bright futures for their children," said David Risher, CEO and Co-founder of Worldreader. "We have seen firsthand the impact that digital reading has on children and families in India and we are proud to bring this same opportunity to all children in Jordan—including those who have been affected by the worst humanitarian crisis of our time—through the Read to Kids programme. Every child should be able to benefit from the magic of reading."

UAE's Awqaf shares website visit details for 2016

The UAE General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (Awqaf) has reported that its website has attracted more than 7,855,727 visitors in 2016, an estimated increase of more than 45% compared to 2015, when the website recorded around 5.4 million visits. The achievement comes on the heels of the initiative of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP and PM of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to support m-government and innovation.

According to statistics issued by Awqaf's IT department, fatwa (فتوى) topped the list of preferred services, registering and increase of 55% in the number of visits, followed by Friday sermons and prayer timings. The statistics also revealed that visitors to the website came from 217 countries around the world.

Dr Mohammed Matar al Kaabi, Awqaf's Chairman said, "This significant rise in the number of visitors to the website is due to many reasons, including credibility and public trust in the moderate religious discourse adhered to by the UAE, which is the state of tolerance, moderation and respect of peoples' cultures and civilisations, this being the essence of authenticity and modernity."

"Another factor lies in the regular update of the website's content in both Arabic and English and addition of new electronic services that ensured users quick and effective access, and allows positive interaction with the users through multiple channels of communication."

In early January, Awqaf disclosed that its Official Fatwa Centre has answered more than 2.8 million queries since its inception. Some 2.4 million were answered over the phone, 282,000 via an SMS service, and over 64,000 queries were answered on Awqaf's website. All responses are archived and can be accessed online.

Dr al Kaabi noted that the centre was set up to enhance the practice of religious fatwa reference in the UAE, and is manned by trusted muftis (مفتي‎‎, an Islamic scholar qualified to provide authoritative opinions in the Islamic context, or fatwas) and scholars who are known for their moderate and tolerant approach as well as high academic qualifications. He added that the centre is now a reliable point of reference for religious queries from the public. "This is because religious fatwas are meant to offer a jurisprudential point of view, clarifying all its relevant terminologies, principles and objective. Such a task can only be done by scholar who are versed in Islamic fiqh (فقه‎‎, or Islamic jurisprudence)," Dr al Kaabi said.

The Official Fatwa Centre's muftis answer the public's queries in Arabic, English and Urdu. A group fatwa mechanism is followed to combat one-sided opinions. To achieve this, the centre offers a fatwa consultation service in addition to the possibility of referring a query to another mufti. A mufti can also avoid answering a query about which they do not have sufficient knowledge and mark it for the centre's supervisor to call the fatwa seeker and answer his/her query.

The YouTube Lantern Award is looking for the most engaging Ramadhan ad

Source: Think with Google website.

Marketing around Ramadhan has gone from TV to digital, says Think with Google, Google's platform for marketing tips, tools and insights.

A May 2016 post on the Think with Google site points to successes by Al Marai with أعمالكم من صيامكم  which had 9 million+ views, and Coca-Cola’s Remove Labels This Ramadan which went viral (18 million+ views) on the back of Ramadhan, when people watch more video, perform more searches and spend more time on mobile*. Themes that focus on the spirit of giving, unity and community during the holy month are particularly successful, the post notes.

YouTube has launched The Lantern, a new award for the most engaging Ramadhan ad. The winning video will be determined by an algorithm based on engagement and views the ad will have received by the month’s end. The Lantern award will then be announced together with the creative agency, media agency and advertiser behind the winning video.

Interested?

Email thelantern at google.com with questions.

View some of the top Ramadhan ads on YouTube in 2015.

*Ramadan in MENA: The Digital Opportunity for Brands, Think with Google, February 2016 

Global Islamic banking activities to continue apace in 2016

• Global Islamic banking assets expected to reach US$1 trillion in 2015
• By 2020, the global Islamic banking industry profit pool is expected to reach US$30.3 billion
• Islamic retail and commercial banking assets continue to grow at 16% in 2014 and 2015
• Islamic banking assets in six key markets set to exceed US$801 billion in 2015
• Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries added US$91 billion in shari’ah compliant assets in 2015
• Approximately 80% of international banking assets are based in Qatar, Indonesia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Malaysia, UAE and Turkey (denoted as QISMUT)

The World Islamic Banking Competitiveness Report 2016*, which aims to inspire and inform the business strategies of Islamic banks through specific, actionable insights, has been published by EY. According to the consultancy, global Islamic banking assets are expected to reach US$1 trillion in 2015, with the profit pool for the global Islamic banking industry reaching US$30.3 billion by 2020.

Source: EY. 

Islamic banking continues to be upbeat, as assets are growing at 16% in 2015. EY said that GCC countries added US$91 billion in shari'ah compliant assets in 2015, with the lion's share (80%) coming from the QISMUT region - comprising the countries of Qatar, Indonesia, KSA, Malaysia, UAE and Turkey. The nine core markets — Bahrain, Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE, Turkey, Kuwait and Pakistan together account for 93% of industry assets,
estimated to exceed US$920 billion in 2015, notes Abdulaziz Al Sowailim, Chairman and CEO of EY MENA.

Al Sowailim listed several broad trends which will drive growth and change for the Islamic banking sector, including:

• Large Muslim populations in 10 of the 25 rapid-growth markets (RGMs) currently reshaping the world economy 
• The coming together of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 
• Falling oil prices, jobs-for-nationals and economic diversification in the GCC
• The launch of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
• China’s Belt & Road Initiative

“Leading Islamic banks have done well to mainstream with a competitive, sizeable business in their home markets. The combined profit pool of Islamic banks across QISMUT was estimated at US$10.8 billion in 2014, which is a notable milestone. However, the return on shareholder equity could be significantly enhanced, by at least 15% to 20%, and this need becomes more pressing in the context of the prevailing macro-economic environment," said Ashar Nazim, Partner, Global Islamic Banking Center, EY.

“The external operating environment is certainly getting tougher, given the prevailing oil price and the resulting impact on banking system liquidity and infrastructure spend. Islamic banks are in a better position to weather this storm due to the simpler nature of their balance sheets, basic products and localised operations. However, they do not appear to be ready for the digital changes that are impacting the way customers engage with banks. A fundamental review of their operating models at this stage will be critical to the success of Islamic banking across the Organization of Islamic Cooperation markets,” added Muzammil Kasbati, Director, Global Islamic Banking Center, EY.

Interested?

Download the report (PDF)

View more infographics (updated to 2014) and dive into country reports

View the Suroor Asia blog post on the 2014-2015 report

*Global Islamic banking assets are estimated based on publicly available data from 15 participation banking (Islamic banking) markets. The research and insights are primarily based on the EY Participation Banking Universe (EY Universe), which is proprietary, based on samples and is not meant to be fully exhaustive. The EY Universe analysis covers 69 participation banks and 45 conventional banks across participation banking markets. Insights are also based on interviews with banking executives and industry observers, to identify key trends, risks and priorities. Limited disclosures on participation banking windows, subsidiary operation and offshore businesses was a limiting factor.

Etihad inks deal with Cognizant to define digital strategy and enhance guest experience

Source: Cognizant. Dr John Burgin, Head of Cognizant Digital Works, APAC and Middle East (left) and Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, sign the strategic agreement between Etihad Airways and Cognizant.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Cognizant, an IT, consulting, and business process outsourcing services provider, have inked a strategic agreement to drive digital transformation across the airline and its equity partners. Under the three-year, multi-million dollar deal, Cognizant will help Etihad Airways define its digital strategy and reimagine the guest experience along a guest's travel journey across the group.

By bringing together its digital strategy, technology, industry and experiential design expertise, Cognizant will conduct a comprehensive study of Etihad Airways' current business and technology footprint to outline and operationalise a best-in-class digital ecosystem, enabling multi-channel distribution, customer persona segmentation and personalised marketing techniques.

Through data and customer insights, Cognizant will enable Etihad Airways, and subsequently its equity partners, to better understand the needs of their guests. Combining this research with streamlined best practices, processes and technology, the airline will provide guests with customised offerings, tailored travel solutions, and enhanced experiences throughout their journey based on their loyalty status and personal preferences such as product and service features, preferred seating, meal choices, holiday destinations and more. For the airline, this means unlocking new revenue streams, enhancing its brand and building new commercial models.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Our guests are increasingly turning to digital channels to connect with us, and therefore we recognise the importance of delivering a personalised and seamless guest experience across all touch-points. Our partnership with Cognizant will help us define a superior digital experience roadmap that enhances the customer journey from planning to booking, in the airport and on the plane, and improve guest loyalty by attracting and engaging with guests in new and innovative ways. The scope includes digital tools and data insights for our customer-facing staff to further enhance their ability to provide a more customised and personalised service to our guests."

Robert Webb, Etihad Airways' Chief Information and Technology Officer, said: "This partnership is core to our technology and innovation strategy, which will empower us and our equity partners to redefine an exceptional digital guest experience that matches our remarkable inflight and on-ground experience. We chose Cognizant because of its leadership in digital transformation programmes, deep travel and hospitality industry experience, and long-term partnerships with digital technology leaders."

Francisco D'Souza, Chief Executive Officer, Cognizant, said: "We are pleased to partner with Etihad Airways to create a world-class airline guest experience by harnessing the power of digital technologies. For Cognizant, 'digital' means the ability to connect technology, data science, devices, design, and business strategy to transform processes and experiences. This engagement marks the coming together of two pioneering organisations whose growth strategy is underpinned by digital innovation.

"The Cognizant Digital Works team looks forward to helping Etihad Airways and its equity partners deliver control, simplicity and transparency to the modern connected traveller. The digital initiative will further strengthen Etihad Airways' leadership position as a premium brand known for high-touch customer service."

As part of the engagement, Cognizant will manage Etihad Airways' existing web applications and portals and integrate them into the new digital platform. A new Digital Centre of Excellence will be established to drive innovation with the airline's key technology partners.

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about Etihad's adoption of Adobe's cloud-based solutions

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about what Cognizant thinks of the smart-life trend

Ooredoo expands Indonesia initiative to embrace digital education

Ooredoo announced that it will extend an existing programme, Indonesia Belajar ("Indonesia’s learning") to include a focus on digital education initiatives.

In a demonstration of its commitment to bring digital to the Indonesian people Indosat Ooredoo pledged US$1 million to support digital education initiatives over the next five years. This focus will be divided between three digital pillars; improving education processes, empowering teachers and providing digital infrastructure.

On November 19 Indosat became the eighth operator in the Ooredoo Group to adopt the Ooredoo brand. This digital-first announcement saw the Indosat Ooredoo campaign become the top trending topic on Twitter in Indonesia during the launch as well as the website recording 10x its usual traffic, reaching 500,000 hits by 20 November with nearly three-quarters of these mobile users. The transformation was announced alongside the launch of a dedicated business strategy to build Indonesia’s leading digital telco and bring digital to the people by making this technology more accessible and affordable for everyone and every business.

Dr Nasser Marafih, President Commissioner, Indosat Ooredoo added: “Mobile technology has created new ways of delivering education, of collaborating and of sharing knowledge. The commitment to digital education announced today is a first-step towards creating a digital ecosystem which supports the advancement of the nation’s education and which enables access to this for all.”

“Indonesia Belajar’s digital education initiatives are one of the ways that we will deliver on our commitment to bring digital to the people. With this five-year programme Indosat Ooredoo aspires to create interactive educational environments and empower students and teachers alike,” said President Director and CEO Indosat Ooredoo, Alexander Rusli.

As part of its work to improve education processes Indonesia Belajar will support the pilot across 65 schools of the Hasri Ainun Habibie ORBIT Foundation and CREATE Foundation’s CREATE CyberSchool. CREATE CyberSchool is a cloud-based education platform, aligned with the national curriculum, which can be downloaded to tablets enabling students to access quality education wherever they are.

Each participating school will be equipped with tablets pre-loaded with the educational software. In parallel to this Indosat Ooredoo will partner with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia to train 500 teachers, empowering them to use digital tools to increase digital literacy and deliver a high quality education for all.

Alexander added: “By supporting the rollout of the CREATE CyberSchool both students and teachers will enjoy the benefits of the foundation’s innovative educational software, enhancing educational processes at the same time. We believe the digital world can provide fundamental support to the education sector, helping to make education more accessible to children across Indonesia.”

HE Minister of Education and Culture, Anies Baswedan commented, "The Ministry fully supports Indosat Ooredoo's commitment through Indonesia Belajar to use digital technology to help improve access to education for children in Indonesia."

He added, "This is in line with the Ministry’s strategic goal to strengthen the roles of teachers, parents and education institution staff in an integrated education ecosystem. We appreciate Indosat Ooredoo's commitment. We hope that Indonesia's education world keeps on improving and is able to boost Indonesia's competitive advantage globally."

Deloitte, Noor Telecom and DIEDC report identifies opportunities for digital Islamic services

Deloitte and Noor Telecom (Noortel), a Kuwait-based, shari'ah-compliant closed-shareholding company, have collaborated with the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Center (DIEDC) to compile a report that highlights the untapped potential of the digital Islamic services market.

Source: Deloitte website.

The report, The Digital Islamic Services Landscape: Uncovering the Digital Islamic Services opportunity for the Middle East and the World,  offers recommendations for realising Dubai's vision of emerging as the capital of Islamic economy. It points out that a growing global Muslim population with a dominant youth demographic, high consumption and expenditure patterns coupled with a rising level of technology readiness are creating a clear and largely untapped need for digital Islamic services. 

Abdulla Al Awar, CEO, DIEDC said: "The digital Islamic economy is a key pillar and area of focus for DIEDC and the Islamic world. We are pleased to extend out patronage to the study as part of our ongoing commitment to augmenting Dubai's leadership in this area. The report underscores the criticality of building a sound digital infrastructure and ecosystem to foster the development of online services for the Islamic economy."

Ayman Al Bannaw, Chairman and CEO, Noor Telecom said: "Technology is arming us with tools that are far more powerful and effective than anything in the past - the impact of which is fully evident in the Muslim community. By observing and following this trend, we have identified a strong need for digital Islamic services."

The study builds and expands on Deloitte's previous report Defining the Digital Services landscape for the Middle East, which identified digital services under social needs, specifically hobbies, education, health and religion as emerging categories with unique niches for the Arab world. Of these, religion was identified as the category with the greatest prospects that could surge with continued activity and development.

Santino Saguto, Partner and Technology, Media and Telecommunications Leader, Deloitte Middle East, said: "Although the prospects are noteworthy, our findings reveal that very few Islamic Internet platforms have achieved a significant scale. Some verticals are being catered to, but monetisation remains a challenge. Currently there are no venture capital funds in the Middle East that specifically target Islamic needs, signifying a huge gap that could and should be filled."

Dr Hatim El Tahir, Director, Deloitte Islamic Finance Knowledge Center in the Middle East, said: "The report findings indicate that the Islamic online services will continue to proliferate across the Middle East and the world at large over the next few years. In some areas we can expect to see the region following global trends whereas in others we will see a unique, homegrown approach. We expect these developments to create interest for global, regional and local players and stakeholders alike."

The report defines the digital Islamic services landscape under nine key industry verticals and areas:

Halal food

There is increasing demand for healthy halal organic food both in the Muslim as well as non-Muslim segments. A growing need for transparency and tracking mechanisms is driving digital opportunities across the value chain. Most digital examples in halal food are emerging from the diaspora markets (e.g., US, France, UK) to address the difficulties faced by Muslim minorities who may not have easy access to these products, as is often the case for Muslim consumers from traditional OIC countries. However, there is still a large gap in ‘farm-to-fork’ (F2F) tracking as supply chain transparency remains an issue for retailers and Muslim consumers who wish to track the original source of their supplies.

 
Halal travel 

There is a gap in the availability of halal holiday amenities and services as shari'ah-compliant travel is a fairly new concept. The most pervasive digital services seen in this vertical are online bookings, ratings and accreditation platforms and also tourist smartphone applications. In particular, the strongest demand has been seen for travel mobile apps, stemming from their utility and ability to be used on-the-go. Structurally, the digital market is mainly occupied and driven by a small dedicated segment of players. However, global tourism players and online travel giants have started to enter the market through partnerships and alliances.

 
Islamic finance 

The Islamic finance industry has made significant progress over the past decades but the sector has still to mature. This is evident when comparing the total asset size per capita of all Islamic banks globally, US$750 per capita, against conventional banks in key economies, each larger by a factor of 100 or more, a considerable gap. At least two decades will be needed to bridge this gap. 

Given ample room for growth and development, populous OIC countries - most notably Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia - are also now emerging as high growth Islamic finance markets. But low asset penetration and GDP per capita in these countries is driving the need for access to digital Islamic funding services, especially those that can open up access to financing for the wider rural population (e.g., via micro-financing, crowdfunding, mobile payments).

 
Modest fashion 

The proliferation of modest fashion over the past decade has also coincided with the growth of digital services across the world. This has helped modest fashion designers to set up low-cost shops online, engage with consumers directly through social media, market themselves through online blogs and magazines as well as build their own business network and knowledge base on the Internet. 

 
Islamic art and design 

This market is fragmented but growing. Compared to the overall market, Islamic art and design still makes up a very small segment, with the former accounting for a 0.1-0.2% share of the global art market. However, it has shown tremendous sales growth of 22% per annum since 2001 to reach nearly US$78.9 million in 2011. Global interest in art is reflected in digital platforms, including online sales. Increased online activity is driving a need for more specialised services related to valorisation (Editor's note: to assign a value to an item), online galleries and auctions.

Islamic economy education 

In the digital space, the Islamic economy education vertical is largely underdeveloped. As with the offline market, the main focus is in online Islamic finance courses with limited online platforms dedicated to the education arena. Over the past five years, online Islamic finance curriculums have seen a surge following the rise of academic and professional programmes. Digital services providers include conventional academic institutions, Islamic finance focused universities, certification bodies as well as exclusive online education suppliers.

 
Smart mosques 

The concept of ‘smart mosques’ is still quite novel and in its infancy. The GCC region and countries in Southeast Asia are leading smart mosque initiatives, with very large scale mosque networks and portals. Western economies too have reportedly expressed interest (for instance, the EU and North America). Currently, these initiatives are funded by governments, particularly those that are more affluent. It is likely that this trend will continue, unless significant private sector donations can be generated to develop these initiatives. Special smart mosque initiatives will continue to emerge, but more on an experimental case-by-case basis.

At a global level, there is a gap in the supply of mosques that are growing at a slower rate than the Muslim population. Deloitte estimates there are approximately 3.6 million mosques around the world, which translate to around 500 Muslims for every mosque. With a 1.3% per annum growth, the number of mosques around the world is expected to grow to 3.85 million by 2019. 

  

Islamic media 

Although there is much activity in this space, digital Islamic media as an industry vertical is still very much fragmented. Precise industry estimates vary. For instance, in order to address the rising demand for Islamic media content, there has been a surge in entrepreneurship. Aggregation sites are not leveraging as much traffic as they can from the vast Muslim population compared to mainstream global platforms such as YouTube, which also display popular Islamic content. Islamic content consumption is currently driven by the diaspora and aggregators are generally more active in North America compared to other areas of the Muslim world. Many ventures are being developed – however, there is, till date, no leading global aggregator.

 
Islamic standards and certifications
From a digital perspective, the Islamic standards and certifications area is untapped, with very few online players. The largest and most obvious need is for online platforms that can be used to facilitate accreditation, certification and verification processes. Given the confusion around shari'ah-compliant standards and the lack of online information, the development of a regional and global accreditation and certification guide for Islamic economy professionals is gap that needs to be addressed. 

From a public service value point, the creation of a global portal of information on Islamic standards and a consumer online feedback reporting mechanism can also support the enforcement and integrity of shari'ah-compliant standards. Currently, the focus is on the implementation of technology that ensures halal-compliant food preservation and packaging technologies. The use of technology for halal traceability is still limited. 

Interested?

Download the report from the Deloitte website

EY predicts maps the challenges for Islamic banking

Source: EY.

The Islamic banking industry has gone mainstream in several core markets. The combined profit of participation banks, or banks which adopt an interest-free model, crossed the US$10 billion mark in 2013 says EY. By 2019, the consultancy expects collective profits to touch US$37 billion as the industry continues its double-digit annual growth. 

According to EY, global Islamic banking assets attained compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 17% from 2009 to 2013. Approximately 95% of international Islamic banking assets of commercial banks are based out of nine core markets, five of which are in the GCC (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain). The market share of Islamic banking assets in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Malaysia is now between 20% and 49%*. 

Islamic banks in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain represent more than 48.9%, 44.6% and 27.7% market share respectively.  Positive progress has been has made in Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey, with 43.5%, 22% and 18.7% CAGR respectively from 2009 to 2013.

Gordon Bennie, MENA Financial Services Leader at EY, said:
“The six rapid-growth markets (RGMs) – Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE and Turkey (QISMUT) –commanded 80% of the international Islamic banking assets at US$625 billion in 2013. QISMUT Islamic banking assets are expected to continue to grow at a five-year CAGR of 19% to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2019.”

Source: EY.

The 2014-15 World Islamic Banking Competitiveness Report – Participation Banking 2.0 from EY explores how digital innovation is set to positively disrupt traditional banking models. Key findings for the report include:

• International Islamic banking assets with commercial banks are expected to exceed US$778 billion in 2014.
• The global profit pool of Islamic banks is set to triple by 2019.
• Islamic banking assets in the six core markets of Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE, Turkey (QISMUT) are on course to touch US$1.8 trillion by 2019.
• Islamic banks in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain represent more than 48.9%, 44.6% and 27.7% market share respectively.
• Positive progress has been has made in Indonesia, Turkey and Pakistan, with 43.5%, 18.7% and 22.0% CAGR respectively from 2009-2013.

The report states that the time is ripe to transition to "Participation Banking 2.0", or technology-based, service-driven value propositions. EY analysed the sentiments of over 2.2 million customers’ social media posts on their banking experiences with Islamic banks in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and Oman. The results showed that customer satisfaction is mediocre for many Islamic banks, which shows how critical it will be for Islamic banks to invest in raising quality of service and understand digital banking. 

Ashar Nazim, Global Islamic Finance Leader at EY, observed during the launch of the report in late 2014 that the Islamic banking industry demands a fundamentally different approach to profitable growth. 

"Customers have mixed emotions about their experiences of dealing with Islamic banks. In the future, growth will be most significant for the banks that are able to strengthen customer experience through the use of digital technology. Banks that do not keep pace with technological advances are expected to face serious pushback from mainstream customers who will gravitate toward the larger conventional players who can deliver on digital,” he said.

In its research, EY found that:

• Four out of every 10 participation banks are not “listening”.
• Better retail banking experiences could attract a sizeable majority to switch banks.
• Customers do not just want their bank to have a digital presence. They want it be tailored to their lifestyle relationships and connections.
• Migration from physical to digital channels requires more attention. Half of the banks surveyed did not have a Twitter account and only one in 18 banks offered full customer engagement on social media.
• Banks should invest in analytics to build rich insights into customers’ delights and pain points and personalise user experiences.

Ashar added: “Customers are increasingly active online and vocal about their experiences. Going mainstream and building a customer base that is based on added value to the customer has not been easy for Islamic banks. Bridging the performance gap requires listening to customers. The transformation of customers’ banking experience across channels and all touch points is going to be crucial as digital and social banking and customer expectations continue to evolve. Understanding and analysing changing customer patterns can help anticipate needs, and encourage desired behaviours. Most importantly, user experience conversations have to be an ongoing activity and not a discrete project. Institutionalisation of these core capabilities requires boards and executives to efficiently shift their spending from running the bank to developing the bank.”

EY also noted that the returns on equity (ROEs) of Islamic banks remain approximately one-fifth lower than those of traditional banks in the same markets. This performance gap could cost its shareholders, and to some extent the investment account holders, up to US$17 billion in total forgone profit over the next five years. Structural transformation and scaling up are therefore becoming critical to improve shareholder returns.

The consultancy predicts that trade finance, mobile payment solutions and managing the cost of regulatory compliance will drive the next phase of profitability. Most Islamic banks remain underweight when it comes to their role in trade finance business.

Ashar said: “The key driving markets for Islamic banking will continue to be Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, with Turkey and Indonesia also establishing themselves as large Islamic banking centers. With increasing market size and greater propensity for the adoption of technology-based, customer-centric solutions, the industry can be expected to further reduce its profitability gap with respect to conventional benchmarks. The challenges of going mainstream will be eliminating operational silos and leveraging customer insights to improve risk management, pricing and channel performance.”

Interested?

View the complete infographics.

*The research and insights are primarily based on the EY Participation Banking Universe (EY Universe), which is proprietary, based on samples  and is not meant to be fully exhaustive. The EY Universe analysis covers 114 banks across participation banking markets. Insights are also based on interviews with banking executives and industry observers, to identify key trends, risks and priorities. The analysis excludes Iran. 

Qatar Digital Library makes archive freely available online

The Qatar Digital Library (QDL) is making a vast archive featuring the cultural and historical heritage of the Gulf and the wider region freely available online, for the first time. 

Source: Qatar Digital Library website.

The aim is to transform the study of Gulf history, improve understanding of the Islamic world, Arabic cultural heritage and the modern history of the Gulf, states the website. 

The QDL includes rich media including digital versions of archives, maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, and photographs complete with contextualised explanatory notes and links in both English and Arabic.

Half a million images are expected to be available on the QDL by end-2014. Current highlights include:

• India Office Records that span the period 1763–1951, comprising files from the Bushire Political Residency Records and the Bahrain Agency Records 
• J. G. Lorimer’s Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia (1908, 1915), a classic introduction to the history of the Gulf 
• Five hundred maps, charts and plans of the Persian Gulf and the wider region 
• The Private Papers of Sir Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf between 1862 and 1872 
• Arabic Scientific Manuscripts from the British Library’s Manuscripts Collections, covering topics such as medicine, mathematics, astronomy and engineering 
• A selection of photographs, postcards and other printed objects as well as sketches, drawings and watercolours; etchings, engravings and illustrations 
• A selection of audio collection materials including 200 shellac discs recorded in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq between 1920 and 1940 

Explore the QDL by curated topics here.