BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Muslims in Brunei can now pay zakat harta on their savings through a newly revamped website created by telco Datastream Digital (DST) in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).
Unveiled on Thursday, the eZakat Harta Wang Simpanan platform is aimed at promoting the adoption of online services in alignment with the government’s Digital Economy Master Plan 2025.
The Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB) approved DST’s digital payment service for zakat harta in June 2024, following a similar decision made in 2021 to allow digital payments for zakat fitrah.
eZakat complements existing collection services through counters and appointed amil nationwide, MoRA said in statement.
Through the eZakat website, Muslims across Brunei can perform their zakat obligations seamlessly — the platform requires no prior registration, and payments can be made securely using debit cards as well as Mobi or Easi credit.
The website will also provide digital receipts so users can track payments throughout the years.
Officiating the launch was Minister of Religious Affairs, Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin PDP Hj Awg Othman, in his capacity as president of MUIB.
DST said the eZakat initiative supports financial inclusion and the telco hopes the platform will be expanded to include services for zakat on income (zakat pendapatan) and zakat on businesses (zakat perniagaan), “broadening zakat’s impact on economic well-being”.
Between January and August 2024, a total of $19.6 million was collected in zakat, including zakat harta, zakat on business, and zakat on savings.
These funds are distributed to eligible recipients, which include the underprivileged, Muslim converts, zakat administrators (amil), debtors (al-gharimin), and travellers with financial difficulty (ibnu sabil).
In 2024, a total of 3,399 people — comprising 1,197 heads of households and 2,202 dependents — were registered as fakir miskin or “poor and needy”, and were eligible for zakat payments.
During the same period, the Zakat Disbursement Committee approved $5.5 million for basic monthly assistance schemes; $1.82 million for education assistance schemes; and $1.68 million for rental assistance schemes.
MUIB is the nation’s supreme authority on zakat management and distribution, and operates under the Islamic Religious Council and Kadi Courts Act.