Determinants of bank profitability: Islamic versus conventional banks

Abstract

This research analyzes the determinants of bank profitability by investigating the internal factors that affect the profitability of Islamic banks and conventional banks. It then compares the results from the two types in order to understand how they differ from each other. As previous researchers focus on either Islamic or conventional banks, this research will analyze both by comparing how they are each influenced by profitability factors. Few researches have attempted to compare the profitability of Islamic and conventional banks using a relatively small sample. This research uses a fixed effect panel data analysis on a large sample of 68 banks (42 Islamic and 26 conventional banks) from 13 MENA countries, covering the period of 2006 until 2016. Using several variables, including bank size, equities to assets, loans to assets, deposits to assets, cash to assets and securities to assets, the results show that bank size, equities to assets and deposits to assets have a significant positive effect on Islamic banks’ profitability, while they have a significant negative effect on conventional banks’ profitability; loans to assets and cash to assets have no effect on bank profitability for either Islamic or conventional banks; and securities to assets has a significant negative effect on Islamic banks’ profitability, while it has a significant positive effect on conventional banks’ profitability. The results also show that bank size, equities to assets, deposits to assets and cash to assets contribute more to Islamic banks’ profitability compared to conventional banks, while loans to assets and securities to assets contribute more to conventional banks’ profitability compared to Islamic banks.