KUALA LUMPUR (July 12): Maybank Islamic Bhd has embarked on an initiative for Maybank customers with conventional current and savings accounts (CASA) to seamlessly migrate to Islamic or syariah-compliant accounts.

The initiative, which is aimed at customers who have always wanted to have a syariah-compliant account but did not want to ‘start all over again’ with a new account number, marks the country’s first for an Islamic bank to offer such hassle-free migration of CASA, said Maybank Islamic.

“Account portability of CASA is a service that provides you with the convenience to switch from conventional accounts to Islamic accounts while maintaining your account number and its operational tagging (such as bank’s standing instructions).

“It is hassle free with seamless experience and no switching fees to worry about,” said Maybank Islamic CEO Datuk Mohamed Rafique Merican in a statement.

He said customers can easily switch their accounts via Maybank online banking site or popularly known as M2U or for those without online banking access, they can walk into any Maybank branch and seek assistance.

On M2U, customers can firstly click on the three dots on top of their current or savings accounts details, followed by selecting the option to switch to Islamic account and the third step will lead to notification of the status of the migration.

Mohamed Rafique said the service offers convenience for the customers who in recent times have become more discerning, preferring speed and ease of use.

He said the bank took note of views and feedback expressed by customers who prefer syariah-compliant accounts. These include not wanting to lose their operational tagging when opening a new account, filling up forms at the bank’s branches, and even having to go to branches just to open new CASA accounts.