Lukmanul Hakim

M-banking is one of the services that Islamic banking provides to its users. With M-banking, customers can more easily obtain information without queueing at the bank. This study investigates the impact of Islamic mobile banking on customers’ interests. To explore the phenomenological impact, this study used a qualitative approach by applying in-depth interviews with 15 Islamic M-banking users from various backgrounds. This study analyzed the data by data reduction, display, and conclusion. The conclusion of this study revealed some positive and negative effects on the users. The positive effect is that it saves time, especially for students and workers who are busy with their daily activities. The available features and facilities such are credit purchases and online Islamic social payments ease them in saving time. However, there are also negative consequences for users. Some customers are susceptible to data theft by irresponsible people and face difficulties in using sophisticated mobile phones that not all customers have. Inconvenience telephone and text messages on behalf of a bank insulted users of Islamic M-banking and reduced their comfort. This study recommends that Islamic banks improve the data security system to ensure customer convenience when using M-banking.

Halal food production is a crucial sector for Muslims, especially Generation Z, who spend time eating in stalls and restaurants instead of eating homemade food. This tendency is higher than in the previous generation. Thus, this study aims to estimate the factors influencing the purchase intention of halal food for Generation Z Muslims in Indonesia. This quantitative study uses a questionnaire distributed randomly online to 352 respondents. Data analysis and hypotheses were examined using the structural equation model (SEM) approach. The results show that religious belief, exposure, and health reasons are essential in increasing halal awareness. Meanwhile, halal awareness and knowledge positively contributed to increasing interest in buying halal food. On the other hand, Islamic brands do not affect the buying interest of Generation Z Muslims in halal products. This shows that Islamic brands in the food sector have no impact on Generation Z Muslims in a Muslim-majority country like Indonesia. This also confirms previous studies conducted in Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia that Islamic brands do not increase interest in buying halal food. This is because they are used to buying food without seeing the Islamic brand as long as it is halal. However, this result may be different if Muslims live in a non-Islamic country since Islamic branding can provide a comfortable feeling for Muslims in a non-Islamic country.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
The adoption of Islamic banking services by Islamic academicians in Indonesia is crucial due to their influential role in promoting Shariah-compliant financial practices. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing their adoption behavior, with religious obligation as a central determinant. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the foundation, the study analyzed the direct effects of religious obligation, relative advantage, access to service, trust, and social influence on adoption behavior, as well as their mediating effects when religious obligation serves as the foundation. Respondents were selected through purposive sampling for academicians with very strict eligibility criteria, where they must possess a formal bachelor’s degree in Islamic economics, Shariah, or Islamic finance, along with postgraduate education in a related discipline. The analysis was conducted in Indonesia in mid-2025 using Structural Equation Modeling with the Partial Least Squares approach based on 252 valid observations. The results revealed significant positive direct effects for religious obligation (β = 0.605), access to service (β = 0.201), and social influence (β = 0.188). Additionally, this study found a positive indirect relationship from religious obligation to the adoption of Islamic banking mediated by access to service (β = 0.096) and social influence (β = 0.090). This study concludes that campaigns targeting Islamic academicians must prioritize their sense of religious obligation as the core message. This should be reinforced with clear narratives about the ease of accessing Islamic banking services and compelling stories about the social respect and recognition they gain from peers when choosing Shariah-compliant financial practices.