Purpose This study aims to examine the association between relationship quality, service quality, customer satisfaction, switching barriers and Islamic banking customer loyalty using evidence from Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach This study used correlational research design to test the hypotheses. Completed questionnaires were received from 572 Islamic bank customers in three major cities of Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Zanzibar). Findings There is a significant positive relationship between relationship quality, service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Switching barriers have an insignificant effect on customer loyalty. Further, the four antecedents contribute differentially to customer loyalty, with service quality having the most significant contribution. Practical implications The findings of the study can help managers of Islamic banks build and maintain customer loyalty through high service quality, high customer satisfaction and high-quality bank–customer relationships and attain a competitive advantage that would enable Islamic banks to grow and succeed in a competitive banking environment. Originality/value This study provides new insights on Islamic banking consumer loyalty by comparing the levels of contributions of the customer loyalty antecedents in a single study. This knowledge would enable Islamic banks to identify antecedents that have the highest contribution to customer loyalty and where best to target marketing attention and limited corporate resources.

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderation effects of religiosity in the relationship between service quality (SQ), customer satisfaction (CS), relationship quality (RQ) and Islamic banking (IB) loyalty in a non-Islamic country. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative approach and a cross-sectional research design. The data was collected by a closed-ended questionnaire from a systematic sample of 267 customers of full-fledged Islamic banks in Tanzania. Structural equation modeling and regression analysis techniques were used to analyze the data. Findings Results indicate that religiosity is a significant (p < 0.05) moderator of the relationship between SQ and loyalty (β = 0.176), and between CS and loyalty (β = 0.263). However, religiosity sharpens the impact of CS on loyalty (β increases from 0.170 to 0.263, p < 0.05) and does not sharpen the impact of SQ on loyalty (β decreases from 0.338 to 0.176, p < 0.05). The results further indicate that religiosity is not a significant moderator (p > 0.05) in the link between RQ and loyalty (β = −0.112). Research limitations/implications This study used only full-fledged Islamic banks in Tanzania. Therefore, future research could be undertaken by including conventional banks that have introduced an IB window. Practical implications To build and maintain a loyal customer base, Islamic banks should take advantage of religiosity by providing a wide range of Sharia-based products and services that truly distinguish them from conventional banks. Accordingly, policymakers should establish an appropriate legal framework to enable Islamic banks to leverage religiosity to sharpen the impact of CS on loyalty and hence maintain loyalty in non-Islamic countries like Tanzania. Originality/value This study proposes and validates the theoretical model of loyalty in IB by showing the role of religiosity as a moderator in a non-Islamic country. This knowledge strengthens the overall understanding of loyalty in IB. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the moderation effects of religiosity in the link between RQ and loyalty, and thus between SQ, CS, RQ and loyalty in a single study.

Although the social capital, in terms of stronger interpersonal relationships between group borrowers, has been found to exert a positive impact on group loan repayment, there is no existing research that has endeavored to study the influence of relationship quality between individual group borrowers on group loan repayment. Therefore, this study seeks to understand the impact of relationship quality and its dimensions on group loan repayment using data gathered from a survey of 450 joint liability borrowers. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings indicate that relationship quality and its dimensions do not influence group loan repayment, suggesting that follow-up loans provide incentives to repay. Commitment, trust, and satisfaction are affirmed as dimensions of relationship quality between individual group members, with trust exerting the strongest influence. Potential group borrowers need to self-select and screen each other based on relationship quality factors, particularly trust, to reduce opportunistic behavior.

The introduction of microfinance institutions is viewed as the best alternative source of financial services for low-income earners as a means to raise their income and reduce poverty. However, empirical research has indicated that the majority of microfinance institutions' borrowers are over-indebted. Overindebtedness has negative consequences for debtors, creditors, and for the economy as a whole. Since over-indebtedness is a context-specific phenomenon, it lacks universally accepted indicators. This study aims to validate indicators of overindebtedness and examine the situation of over-indebtedness among microborrowers in the context of Tanzania. A survey of 535 micro-borrowers was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive, thematic, and logistic regression techniques were employed for data analysis. Findings show that debt-toincome ratio, multiple borrowing, and delinquency have a positive and significant effect on over-indebtedness. Further, findings indicate that over-indebted microborrowers in Tanzania spend 75% or more of monthly income on servicing debts; are in the state of delinquency; are unable to meet basic needs due to loan repayment expenditure, have three or more credit commitments, and are in delinquency. To reduce over-indebtedness and hence poverty among micro-borrowers,