The main objective of this study is to analyse consumers’ behavioural intentions to use cardless banking technology in Malaysia. The intentions to use this technology are evaluated through an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. The data were collected from 447 Maybank and Hong Leong Bank customers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. The results show that self-efficacy (SE) had a positive impact on the perceived ease of use (PEOU), while perceived risk (PR) had a negative impact on perceived usefulness (PU) and intention to use (IU) cardless banking. Next, the perceived ease of use (PEOU) had a positive impact on perceived usefulness (PU). The results further support the idea that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) had the strongest impacts on intention to use (IU). The practical implications of this study suggest that developers of cardless banking technology should introduce secure, less complicated, and easily accessible technology to improve consumers’ intentions to use. The perceived usefulness of this technology can be improved through promotional strategies and consumer training. Theoretically, this study has successfully extended TAM in the context of cardless banking technology in Malaysia. Moreover, this study will assist bankers in designing effective marketing strategies to attract more customers, which will add significant value to the overall business of the banking industry.

The outbreak of Covid-19 is the second most devastating event over a century. The pandemic, alongside deep health crises, has ushered the largest economic shocks, which require governments’ attention to ameliorate to avoid an economic downturn. The aim of this study is to measure the economic impacts of Covid-19 in Brunei by estimating the exposure, vulnerability, and resilience of the economy. This study deployed the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction framework to examine the economic impact empirically. The data related to variables of gross domestic product, oil prices, international merchandise trade, tourism, unemployment, consumer price index, money supply, and national accounts were collected from September 2019 to July 2020 and analyzed through the fixed effects panel regression technique. The findings show that the news of the Covid-19 outbreak has exposed the weaknesses in energy sectors by having a significant negative impact. Additionally, analysis discloses that the energy and tourism sectors are vulnerable to the shocks of Covid-19. During the peak of the pandemic outbreak, unemployment in Brunei has also escalated. Additionally, the energy and tourism sectors are less resilient to pandemic shocks. The findings indicated that the consumer price index has significantly escalated during the economic recovery process. The findings elucidate that the overall GDP growth rate, international merchandise trade, and the financial sector continue exhibiting better performance amid Covid-19. The findings of this study contribute to developing policy implications for the emerging economies concerned with the economic recovery process during the pandemic.

The digitalisation of zakat fitrah payments has emerged as an essential development in Malaysia's religious financial administration, driven by societal demands for more accessible and efficient services. However, the absence of specific fatwas endorsing digital payment mechanisms has raised concerns over Shariah compliance and public trust. This study investigates the dynamic interplay between fatwa legitimacy, institutional challenges, operational innovations, societal adaptation and trust issues, drawing insights from case studies of Melaka and the Federal Territory. Utilising document analysis and code co-occurrence mapping via Atlas.ti, the study identifies the critical role of fatwas in providing legal certainty, the operational innovations needed to meet technological expectations and the challenges of transforming institutional practices. The findings suggest that while technological platforms such as MelakaPay and HPX have facilitated greater accessibility, the success of digital zakat initiatives is highly dependent on formal fatwa endorsement, transparent institutional frameworks and strategic public education campaigns. This paper proposes a structured formalisation framework that integrates legal, technological and societal elements to ensure the effective governance of digital zakat fitrah payments. By addressing these interrelated factors, zakat institutions can strengthen trust, improve compliance and modernise zakat management in Malaysia’s evolving religious landscape.

Recognising the significance of climate finance, this research examines the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis and the climate finance-Kuznets curve using panel data from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries covering 2000 to 2020. The study used panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE), feasible generalised least squares (FGLS), quantile regression (QR), and completely modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) to achieve its objective. The study found an inverted U-shaped relationship between CO₂ emissions and per capita income, supporting the EKC hypothesis. The results also revealed an inverted U-shaped correlation between climate finance and CO₂ emissions. The study concludes that climate finance has a nonlinear effect on CO₂ emissions in ASEAN countries. Climate finance initially increases CO₂ emissions at low levels, but once the threshold is reached, additional climate finance reduces CO₂ emissions. This suggests that the environmental effectiveness of climate finance materialises only after sufficient financial scale and institutional absorption capacity are achieved. This research contributes to understanding the relationship between the environment and the economy by using climate finance as a central explanatory variable within an EKC framework. It provides empirical evidence from ASEAN, which has high exposure to climate risk and diverse economic structures.