Aim: This study aims to explore bank selection criteria employed by international students in Gavle, Sweden. Methodology: Data was collected through semi-open structure questionnaire. The researchers do sampling a total of 101 students in the University of Gavle. After data collection through questionnaire, data was analyzed through SPSS19 software. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling was employed and data was analyzed to be refined and reduced in a manageable way. Conclusion: There are four factors which are the main reasons in influencing international students choosing banks in Sweden. This study reveals that “Good service provision”, “assurance”, “value added service”, “convenience and security” have significant influence on the bank selection decision of international students. There is no difference between ethnicity in influencing factors. Besides, different genders have same influencing factors as the four factors in this research.   Implications and value of this research: This research steps further in the investigation about customer bank selection behavior. It is the research that focuses on individual customers of banks especially in Sweden. Furthermore, the results of this research can be beneficial for banks to identify appropriate strategies to attract and retain international students. Suggestion for future studies: The international students are banks’ potential customers in the long run. Because the results of this study are only based on customer’s perceptions, it could be an interesting research area for future researchers to investigate the correspondence between and service providers’ and consumers’ perceptions. In addition, because one of our study limitations was that the research only conducted in one city: Gavle, it would be interesting to investigate other Swedish universities international students for the same topic.

The growth of Islamic banking and financing as an alternative financial management model is flourishing in new regions. South Africa is one of the markets which is opening up to Islamic banking and finance as the need for financial products that comply with Shariah is increasing, among both Muslims and non-Muslims. It is, thus essential that the extent to which the true benefits of Islamic banking are being realised within the South African context are examined as it is important that this practice be properly understood by its constituents and that the perceptions of Islamic banking be well managed. The purpose of this research is to study the perceptions of Islamic banking in South Africa. More specifically, the study seeks to explore the current level of awareness of the culture of Islamic banking and the criteria that shape a consumer’s banking choice. A comparative, quantitative study between Muslim and non-Muslim chartered accountants was conducted using a structured questionnaire which contained specific questions relating to perceptions, awareness and bank selection criteria. The results of the study indicate that the majority of Muslim and non-Muslim chartered accountants have a low level of knowledge about Islamic banking terms. As expected there are differences in the perceptions of Islamic banking between Muslim and non-Muslim chartered accountants with religion emerging as the primary reason for Muslims engaging with an Islamic bank. However, non-Muslims may also be attracted to this form of banking if they were more aware of its principles and methods. As regards the issue of bank selection criteria, most of the respondents were engaged in conventional banking and the provision of fast and efficient services was clearly primary importance to both Muslim and non-Muslim chartered accountants.

Valet av bank är ett komplext köpbeslut vilket kan komma att ha påverkan på privatekonomin. Denna studie undersöker hur svenska privatkunder tänker och resonerar kring deras val av bank samt hur de upplever sina bankrelationer i frågan om kundnöjdhet. Studien är kvalitativ och det empiriska materialet består av tolv semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer i blandade åldrar som har genomfört ett bankbyte och upplevt sökandet efter ny bank. Med stöd i teorierna som förklararar finansiella köpbeslut samt vilka faktorer som kan komma att påverka beslutet så visar undersökningens analys att relationen är av mycket större vikt än vad kunderna själva upplever. Relationer påverkar den upplevda kundnöjdheten vilket resulterar i lojala bankkunder. Respondenterna lägger stor vikt vid smidiga bankaktiviteter och smidig kundrelation.