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This study aims to develop cash waqf models for Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT), a special Islamic microfinance institution in Indonesia, combining Islamic social finance in Baitul Maal (house of wealth) division and Islamic commercial finance in Baitut Tamwil (house of asset development) division, as integrated Islamic social and commercial microfinance in Indonesia, to achieve triple bottom-line, including outreach, sustainability and welfare impact.

This study uses Delphi and analytic network process methods, with three groups of relevant respondents, including experts (academic), BMT practitioners and regulators.

The results show that the best cash waqf model for BMT is “BMT as Nazir (waqf manager) and also as cash waqf receiver Lembaga Keuangan Syariah Penerima Wakaf Uang (LKSPWU)”, followed by “BMT Association as representative Nazir of several certified BMTs”. Moreover, “long-term investment deposit” is the best to account cash waqf in the BMT balance sheet. With regard to financing, the most preferred one is “financing to regular Micro and Small Enterprises” of BMT members.

Having allowed BMT to be Nazir (waqf manager), this research might only benefit Indonesian policymakers, such as the Financial Services Authority and the Ministry of Cooperatives, BMTs and the National Waqf Board. But it may also benefit other countries which have similar characteristics.

BMTs could adopt several alternatives of best models in managing cash waqf most appropriate for their specific conditions.

The management of cash waqf by BMT could help the social activities of the Baitul Maal through social cash waqf and, indirectly, by productive cash waqf.

Studies have been limited, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no specific study discussing the integrated cash waqf model, cash waqf account and cash waqf investment appropriate for BMT.

This study aims to devise policies in implementing cash waqf system of Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT) in Indonesia, enabling the BMT to optimize its commercial and social activities to better achieve outreach, sustainability and welfare impact.

This study uses the strategic assumption surfacing and testing (SAST) method, with three groups of knowledgeable respondents, including expert, BMT practitioner and regulator to formulate important and certain policies.

The results show that four types of policies are required to improve cash waqf system of BMT, including 12 internal strategic policies, 15 internal operational policies, 15 external strategic policies and 9 external operational policies, which were found to be within a “certain planning region.” All of these policies have been agreed significantly by each group of respondents, as well as by all respondents combined. The most important-certain policies include Shiddiq, Amanah and professional Nazir, inculcate Islamic values to BMT employees and members, standard operating procedure and standard operating management of cash waqf management, technical assistance for Nazir to manage cash waqf and IT systems for BMT-cash waqf administration.

The qualitative method used has its limitations, which could be improved by incorporating other methods. Moreover, the case and respondents are all Indonesian, so that the results are possibly only applicable to BMTs in Indonesia.

BMTs could adopt these policies in implementing their cash waqf management optimally.

The management of cash waqf by BMT could help improve the social activities of the Baitul Maal directly from social cash waqf and indirectly from productive cash waqf.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study using SAST method to determine policies needed by the BMT to upgrade its cash waqf management producing more social programs for the society.

This paper aims to contribute to literature on managing Islamic micro financing by formulating and evaluating the implementation of internal control system for Islamic micro financing. It also aims to investigate the implementation of an internal control system for financing activities practiced by Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT), a special micro finance organization, in Indonesia.

First, the paper introduces the concept of internal control system. Second, an internal control system for Islamic financing is formulated. Primary data that relate to the implementation of an internal control system for financing activities are obtained through a direct survey using questionnaires. The data are then analyzed using descriptive statistic and qualitative analysis to find the implementations of the internal control system.

BMTs in Indonesia have implemented an internal control system for their financing activities. The rank of the implementation is: information and communication; monitoring; control environment; risk assessment; and control activities. This study also indicates that the implementation of authorization and consultation to the Shariah Supervisory Board was low.

The respondents of this study are small in number. However, the findings are valid and reliable.

To the author's knowledge, there is a lack of scholars' attention on the implementation of internal control especially for Islamic micro financing. Therefore, this study will provide insight to the literature on how to manage Islamic micro financing efficiently and effectively.

This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT) in reducing poverty.

The case study approach on BMT MMU Sidogiri (located at East Java Province) is taken. Two important and dominating products of BMT MMU Sidogiri (i.e. ba’i bithaman ‘ajil (BBA) and mudarabah) are examined carefully on how much they have helped the customers in reducing their poverty. The paper goes beyond data measurement using descriptive statistics, paired t-test and some poverty measurement indexes such as headcount index; poverty gap; Sen index; and Foster, Greer and Thorbecke Index to investigate the effectiveness of the BMT in reducing poverty.

This paper reveals that BMT financing is effective in reducing poverty. Most of respondents can increase their income after receiving BMT financing. Products of BMT, especially BBA and mudarabah, to empower the poor in various productive businesses have been able to reduce the extent and severity of poverty. This paper also discloses some interesting and important findings related with how BMT’s work, so that it can contribute more to the knowledge enrichment, as well as the development of BMTs, in general, in realising their mission.

The establishment of the so-called BMT in the form of an Islamic microfinance is intended initially to effectively help the poor. At present, there are around 3,874 BMTs operating around the country. Although the BMTs have been existing since more than ten years, no research has been conducted to examine their effectiveness in alleviating the poverty. This study in aimed at fulfilling this important gap.

This paper aims to examine the relationship between religiosity level and reasons for saving money in Islamic microfinance institutions [Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT)] in Surakarta and Sukoharjo, Indonesia.

A chi-square test was used to identify the relationship between religiosity level and saving decisions in BMTs. In addition, the authors tested religiosity level and the reasons for transactions in both BMTs and conventional banking. Data were collected via a questionnaire. A total of 523 respondents from Surakarta and Sukoharjo, Indonesia, participated in the survey. The respondents are customers of 31 BMTs in Surakarta and Sukoharjo.

The authors find a significant relationship between one’s religiosity and the reason for saving money in BMTs. Products that are in accordance with Islamic principles form the highest reason for saving money in BMTs, followed by quality of service, recommendation from friends and location. In addition, purpose of business is the main reason for transactions in both BMTs and conventional banking. However, there is no significant relationship between religiosity level and the decision to transact in both BMTs and conventional banking.

There is a lack of literature discussing Islamic microfinance institutions, especially in Indonesia. Furthermore, BMT customers have different characteristics compared with those of large banks.

This study aims to design appropriate micro-fintech models for Islamic microfinance institutions (IMFIs), especially Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT) in Indonesia, thus enabling BMT to combine Islamic social and commercial microfinance optimally.

This study uses the analytic network process and Delphi methods, with three groups of experts as the respondents, namely, academician-regulators, BMT practitioners and Fintech practitioners.

The first results show that the micro-fintech tools needed by IMFI/BMT are digital banking, payment, peer-to-peer (P2P) financing, P2P social and e-commerce. These could be developed by a BMT alone or with an APEX or Association, which could also collaborate with an existing fintech company that specialises in micro-fintech, applying the offline to online approach. This means that commercial funding, as well as social fundraising of zakat and waqf, would be conducted online, whereas commercial financing for micro and small enterprise customers and the disbursement of zakat and waqf would be conducted offline. The second results show that the limited open ecosystem and hybrid ecosystem are the most appropriate micro-fintech ecosystems for IMFIs/BMT, with various alternative models. In addition, the private closed ecosystem preferred by BMT would be feasible if all criteria show improvement in the future.

This study is qualitative in nature. The methods used have limitations, meaning the models could be improved by incorporating other methods. Moreover, the case and respondents are all Indonesian, which means that the results may only be applicable to BMTs in Indonesia.

A BMT and/or BMT association could immediately apply micro-fintech with a limited open ecosystem, while in the future, they could apply micro-fintech with a private closed ecosystem.

The micro-fintech model could be used to optimise the collections of zakat, infaq and waqf, meaning BMT could provide more social programmes for those in need.

The growth of fintech in Islamic microfinance has occurred only recently, while only a limited number of studies have been conducted; therefore, no study exists on the development of a micro-fintech model appropriate for IMFIs, especially BMT.

Baitul Maal wa Tamwil (BMT) is an Islamic microfinance institution created by combining the functionality of Baitul Maal and Baitul Tamwil in Indonesia. While Baitul Maal plays the role of an institution that collects funds from zakah, cash waqf, infaq and sadakah, Baitul Tamwil then distributes these funds in the form of Qardhul Hassan financing to the poor at the bottom of the economic pyramid (BOP). This study aims to explain the poverty alleviation effort by BMT regarding its role in providing Qardhul Hassan financing to the people at the BOP and provide practical suggestions to maximize the outreach performance of the BMT.

In this methodology, the study adopts the qualitative analysis of reviewing the literature and interviewing the BMT staff in Jakarta, Makassar and Nusa Tenggara Barat areas to present the views of the practitioners related to the role of Baitul Maal in giving Qardhul Hassan financing to the people at the BOP using appreciative intelligence framework.

The study finds that BMT in Indonesia needs several stage-specific structures and roles to be effective. In particular, there is a need to separate the function of Baitul Maal from Baitul Tamwil to enhance its role when giving Qardhul Hassan financing to the people at the BOP. The role of Baitul Maal in alleviating the poverty figure is also drawn in this study.

The findings of this study add to the literature on Baitul Maal by enabling researchers and practitioners to appreciate the role of Baitul Maal, and these findings also contribute towards enriching the knowledge in Baitul Maal and financing requirements of the poor at the BOP. This paper also contributes to the field of Islamic accounting which is currently getting prominent.

Microfinance institutions (MFIs), including Islamic microfinance institutions (IMFIs) in Muslim countries, have spread across the globe and transformed into a new industry. However, how IMFIs in Indonesia evolved to become an important sector serving society has not been rigorously explored. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to address the lacuna on the emergence of an industry by examining the development of Islamic microfinance sector in Indonesia.

The paper adopts the historical research method to narrate the evolution of this specific sector based on the data collected through oral history and published academic research documents during various periods of Indonesia’s economic and political milieu.

This paper demonstrates that the emergence and development of IMFIs in Indonesia has been shaped within the wider process of socio-political changes, particularly, the role of Islamic movement and politics in Indonesia.

Most studies investigating the emergence and transformation of institution or industry adopt the static approach, which has been criticised as it fails to consider the process of emergence, growth path and the survival of organisations. Hence, this paper contributes to the literature by analysing the institutional evolution by locating the institution inside its wider environmental context by using Bourdieu’s concept of field to narrate the historical development of IMFIs from its emergence and evolution to become a significant new industry in the country.

This paper aims to unveil the impact of government policy, socio-economic variable, Zakat Infaq Shadaqah (ZIS) and financing of Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT) toward severe problem of poverty in Indonesia.

The paper considers dynamic circular causation model to produce proper solution on Indonesian style of poverty that hitherto remain unresolved.

All variables including ZIS, government policy, socio-economic variable and BMT financing have an impact toward poverty reduction.

This paper confined to the scope of poverty that occurred in Indonesia only, and therefore all variables and literatures derived from Indonesian pedigree on poverty.

This paper implies that government policy will be shifted toward focusing on extending subsidy for rural society to uplift their income by involving in more real sector.

This paper considered to be scarce as focusing only for Indonesian style of poverty by using dynamic circular causation model as a solution.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the factors that affect Muslim customers’ participation in using Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT). The decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB) was used as the research framework.

The paper uses primary data collected by self-administered questionnaires involving a sample of 405 respondents from selected BMTs in five different regencies in East Java. Structural equation modelling was used in the analysis.

This study revealed that among the three main beliefs, only perceived behavioural control towards BMT was found to have positive and significant impact on clients’ participation towards BMT. With regards to antecedents’ influence on their main beliefs, only perceived compatibility, perceived complexity and uncertainty and facilitating condition were not significant.

As the data collected are existing clients of BMT, behavioural intention is excluded from the study, and as a result, the study may lack comprehensive results. Therefore, future study will be very useful if it includes behavioural intention as the variables.

The finding of the present study could help BMT to better manage by focussing on relative advantage and behavioural control to build client relationships.

The paper may be first study to apply DTPB to client behaviours in the area of Islamic microfinance in Indonesia.