Governance, Ethics, and Transparency: A Comparative Analysis of Takaful and Conventional Insurance in Malaysia

Abstract

The insurance industry is a main part of both affecting financial stability and economic resilience, and its models are highly disparate from an ethical and operationally oriented point of view. In a duopoly financial system of two types of financial instruments (Malaysia has mainly conventional insurance, while Malaysia has Islamic insurance (Takaful)), the issue here is related to compliance, governance, and transparency, which contribute to the evaluation of their performance. This paper contributes a comparative analysis between Takaful insurance and conventional insurance between 2016 and 2024 with regard to governance structures, ethical behavior and compliance, financial disclosure, and consumer protection. Using a mixed methods approach, which combines thematic analysis of governance structures and quantitative analysis using an Insurance Disclosure Score and a Comparative Ethics Index, this study compares and contrasts the capabilities of each model to address the liability of stakeholders and regulatory imperatives. The findings indicate that while the disclosures of both systems satisfy minimum governance subsurface, Takaful providers are otherwise more ethical than insurers in ethics-related disclosures, the disclosures on the operating model, and consumer protection due to the existence of double jurisdiction and Shariah supervisor. On the contrary side, conventional insurers, inflamed by no unfamiliar corporate banking, have as a rule more reserve power in monetary inclusion and regularity of expressions, and enjoy a superior institutional foundation and normalized methodologies for regulations. Results indicate that Takaful blends a religious mandate and ethical values in the governance culture, whereas conventional insurance places more emphasis on the financial performance, as well as being transparent to citizens and investors. From the findings, it is concluded that the dual financial system in Malaysia supports the presence of these two models. However, it requires more alignment in Shariah standards, more consumer disclosures, and creative regulatory solutions for sustainability and transparency, inclusiveness, and resilience of the industry.