Information asymmetry and dividend payout in an emerging market: Does corporate governance quality matter?

Abstract

Numerous studies have explored the impact of information asymmetry on firms’ dividend policies. These studies have generally focused on advanced capital markets and have provided conflicting evidence on the quality of the information environment and dividend policy. Our paper, thus, tries to address this gap in current understanding by examining the connection between asymmetric information and dividend payout policies and whether this connection is moderated by corporate governance quality (CGQ) in an emerging economy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using a panel sample of non-financial firms traded on the UAE stock exchanges over the period from 2009 to 2022, we document that dividend payments are negatively influenced by information asymmetry problems. We also document that the negative connection between information asymmetry and dividend policy is less pronounced in firms with strong corporate governance systems, consistent with the conjecture that such firms face lower agency and asymmetric information problems and hence pay higher dividends.