Do We Need Financial Technology for Collecting Zakat?

Abstract

The development of the digital era has created opportunities and threat for the institution of amil zakat in Indonesia. The lifestyle of society is close to the technology that requires the amil zakat institution needs to be transformed to adjust zakat services that are easily accessible to the muzakki through information technology. The emergence of financial technology to facilitate business activities into strength as well as weakness for promotion activities, collection, and reporting of zakat. The purpose of this research is to analyze the strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat of using financial technology for collecting zakat in Indonesia. This conceptual paper primarily draws on observations of other scholars in exchange theories based on zakat collectible and financial technology from the Islamic perspective. Those observations used analyzing a comprehensive view of the paper’s issue in using financial technology for collecting zakat in Indonesia. The literature indicates that there is always opportunity for amil zakat institution to use financial technology for collecting zakat because the strength of information technology in 4.0 era. Nevertheless there is always threat and weakness for using financial technology. It is hoped that to overcome these threat and weakness amil zakat institution can improve the skills of amil zakat to take advantage of the opportunities that exist.