Reviving social banking using relationship quality dynamics in a developing country

Abstract

ABSTRACT Service sectors are the backbone of any economy. Due to the recent pandemic, this sector has been hit the hardest in developing countries. People are becoming unemployed, and the poverty rate is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Social banking, such as Grameen Bank, has played an essential role in lifting the poor out of poverty in various critical environments. Although relationship quality with customers plays a crucial role in this transformative banking services, there is a lack of research exploring its dimensions that made this sector sustainable. This paper aims to propose a social banking relationship quality framework by conducting a systematic literature review, 30 in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. The findings show that trust, respect and reciprocity are the primary critical relationship quality dimensions for sustaining social banking services in developing countries.