Purpose: Several research models have been proposed in the existing literature to understand the intention to use Islamic banking where conventional bank customers are not primarily addressed. Upon measuring the level of Islamic financial literacy (IFL) among the customers of conventional banks in the UAE, the purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect effects of IFL, awareness, cost and benefit, reputation and attitude towards Islamic banking on the intention of potential customers to use Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach: Using judgmental sampling techniques, questionnaires were distributed to working individuals who did not have accounts with Islamic banks. A total of 350 completed and usable questionnaires were received and used for further analysis. The SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to analyse the data. Findings: The results revealed that the level of IFL was high across the respondents and differed significantly as a function of gender, income level and years of work experience. The findings showed that IFL, awareness, reputation and attitude towards Islamic banking significantly influenced the intention to use Islamic banking, while cost and benefit appear not to. Interestingly, IFL was negatively correlated with the intention to use Islamic banking, but when the attitude towards Islamic banking mediated the relationship between IFL and the intention to use Islamic banking it then became positive. Research limitations/implications: Future research should consider looking at non-Muslim economies, which might be more vulnerable to IFL. In addition, a comparison between the current customers of Islamic banks and potential customers might be relevant to see whether the IFL of the current customers differs from the new customers. Practical implications: The implications of the research are twofold. First the study suggests that IFL is crucial for an Islamic bank’s potential new customers. Islamic bank managers should design and focus their policies toward enriching the knowledge of the public about Islamic banks and their products. Second, IFL alone does not lead to a higher level of intention to use Islamic banks unless there is a positive attitude towards such banks. Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to consider the IFL measure used in this paper. Therefore, this study will be the foundation for future research on IFL.

Islamic banks have faced many challenges either from rivals or customers who look for better products and services. This study examined both the direct and mediating effects of selected variables influencing Islamic banks’ customer loyalty. The direct links were satisfaction, attitude towards Islamic banks, customer trust, and religious obligation to customer loyalty. On the other hand, the indirect links were through the mediators’ trust and attitude. A sample of 416 working Muslims in the UAE was collected and analysed. We used PLS-SEM techniques and the SmartPLS 3.0 software package to investigate customers’ loyalty towards Islamic banks. It was found that all the direct links were positive and significant, and were mediating relationships. This result implied that the respondent’s attitude toward Islamic banks and customer trust plays a significant role in understanding the relationship between customer satisfaction, religious obligation, and customer loyalty. In other words, both customer satisfaction and religious obligation indirectly created customer loyalty through the mediators. This study is one of the few studies that incorporate religious obligation as one of the determinants of customer loyalty.