Islamic Banks In GCC Countries Research Articles

Influence of key ESG factors on Islamic banks’ financial performance: Evidence from GCC countries

With the global emphasis on sustainability, this research highlights the crucial role Islamic banks can play in sustainable development. The study evaluates how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices impact the performance of Islamic banks in GCC countries from 2010 to 2021 using the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach to address potential endogeneity in panel data. Our findings show that while the overall ESG score does not significantly impact bank performance, individual ESG components do. The social component positively affects several performance indicators, governance impacts Return on Equity (ROE), and the environmental factor correlates positively with Tobin's Q. Despite the growing focus on ESG principles, their integration in Islamic banking is limited. By improving ESG performance and offering niche market services, Islamic banks can significantly contribute to sustainability. The study advises bank executives, investors, and policymakers to integrate ESG considerations into business and regulatory strategies to enhance the sector's role in achieving sustainability goals.

The impact of banks’ capital buffer on equity return: evidence from Islamic and conventional banks of GCC countries

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of bank’s capital buffer on return on equity (ROE) in the context of Islamic and conventional banks in GCC countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors collect data from 83 commercial banks comprising of 49 conventional banks and 34 Islamic banks for the period 2010–2019. The final data set comprises of 744 bank-year observations. The authors apply generalized methods of moments estimation technique and panel least square to analyze the data. Findings The authors document that Tier-1 capital, total regulatory capital (TRC) and equity to asset ratio (EAR) negatively affect banks’ ROE. However, the impact disappears for conventional banks and sustains for Islamic banks if these two clusters of banks are treated separately. Furthermore, the negative impact of equity capital on earning is more pronounced for large and listed commercial banks. Practical implications Findings of this research imply that Islamic banks in GCC countries has scope to manage equity capital more efficiently. Hence, they should concentrate on using banks equity wisely to successfully compete with the conventional banks. Originality/value Since the global financial crisis of 2009, Islamic banks of GCC countries have been reporting lower ROE compared to their conventional counterparts. On the other hand, Islamic banks maintain higher level of Tier-1 capital, TRC and EAR. This evidence hypothetically suggests that Islamic banks are overly cautious in managing their capital buffer that results in lower ROE. To the best of the author’s/authors’ knowledge, no other study in the literature tests this hypothesis in the GCC context.

Impact of FDI inflows on bank loans in Gulf Cooperation Council economies: an empirical insight

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare the impact of FDI inflows on bank loans in aggregate as well as at the level of conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries. The paper also tests hypotheses of direct and indirect impacts of FDI inflow and FDI stock on bank loans.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises a total of 70 banks (45 conventional and 25 Islamic banks). The period under consideration is 1995–2017. Static panel and dynamic panel GMM estimation techniques are applied.FindingsEmpirical results indicate that inflowing FDI and FDI stock have a significant negative direct impact on loans of GCC banks. The results lend support to the direct channel hypothesis for the effect of FDI on bank loans and find no evidence in support of the indirect channel hypothesis. FDI inflows affect bank loans directly via increased FDI-related liquidity, business activity or excessive competition in the banking market; they are not channeled through macro variables. Loans from conventional banks appear to be more affected than those from Islamic banks.Practical implicationsGiven the attractiveness of the GCC economies to foreign investment, the potential volatility of investment-induced instability to the financial system in these economies should be on the radar of the central banks. Attracting more FDI is expected to increase overall national productivity through competition. However, government would be wise to enact a policy to maximize benefits and minimize potential harm to local industry. In addition, to achieve the goal of the new economic model, in turning the GCC economies into high-income and knowledge-driven economies by 2030, enhancement of efficiency and the quality of the workforce will contribute to creating productivity-driven economies.Originality/valueIt is widely recognized that FDI inflows are of great importance to the financial performance development of emerging and developing countries. However, their impact on bank loans has so far not been subject to accurate empirical assessment. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing an in-depth quantitative analysis of the impact of FDI inflow and FDI stock, separately, on bank loans for both conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries. It distinguishes between direct and indirect channels through which FDI inflows may affect bank loans. The study uses both static and dynamic panel GMM estimation techniques to analyze the data.

Do FDI inflows affect the off-balance sheet activities of banks in GCC economies?

PurposeThis paper investigates and compares the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows (flow and stock) on bank off-balance sheet (OBS) activities in aggregate as well as at the level of conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries. It also tests hypotheses of direct and indirect impacts of FDI flow and FDI stock on OBS activities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses both static and dynamic panel generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimation techniques to analyze the data of 70 GCC banks (45 conventional and 25 Islamic banks) over the period 1995–2017.FindingsEmpirical results indicate that FDI flow and FDI stock have a significant negative direct impact on OBS activities of GCC banks. The results lend support for the direct channel hypothesis for the effect of FDI on OBS activities and find no evidence in support of the indirect channel hypothesis. OBS activities from conventional banks appear to be more affected than those from Islamic banks.Practical implicationsThe results of this study are expected to trigger appropriate policy response from the central banks of the respective GCC countries as well as their governments.Originality/valueIt is widely recognized that FDI inflows are of great importance to the economic development of emerging and developing countries. However, their impact on bank OBS activities has so far not been subject to accurate empirical assessment. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing an in-depth quantitative analysis of the impact of FDI flow and FDI stock separately, on bank OBS activities for both conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries. It distinguishes between direct and indirect channels through which FDI flow and FDI stock may affect OBS activities for banks as a whole and both conventional and Islamic banks separately. It also uses both static and dynamic panel GMM estimation techniques to analyze the data.

Political instability and services of GCC banks: how important is the Yemen War?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the Yemen War on banking services (deposits and loans) at the aggregate and at the level of conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries. The author also tests hypotheses of direct and indirect impacts of the Yemen War on bank services.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises a total of 70 banks (45 conventional and 25 Islamic banks) over the period 2000–2018. The static and dynamic panel generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimation techniques are applied.FindingsEmpirical results indicate that the Yemen War has a significant negative direct impact on deposits and loans of GCC banks. The results lend support for the direct channel hypothesis, but not for the indirect channel hypothesis. The negative direct impact is most prominent on banks in GCC countries that are directly involved in the Yemen War, although the war has an asymmetric effect on conventional and Islamic banks, the former being more vulnerable. The overall conclusion is that the Yemen War exerts an asymmetric impact on the GCC region, across both banks and countries.Practical implicationsThese results are a warning to policymakers to be cautious when formulating a strategy for macroeconomic stability.Originality/valueIt is widely recognized that the Yemen War has a significant impact on the economies of the GCC countries. However, the possible impact of the war on GCC bank services has not so far been subjected to robust empirical analysis. This paper therefore seeks to fill this gap by providing an in-depth quantitative analysis of this impact. It distinguishes between direct and indirect channels through which the Yemen War may affect bank services. It is also the first to examine the asymmetric impact of the Yemen War on the GCC region, across both banks (Islamic and conventional banks) and countries (whether or not involved in the war). The study uses both static panel and dynamic panel GMM estimation techniques to analyze the data.

Investment account holders’ market discipline in GCC countries

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the two components of market discipline, investment account holder (IAH) monitoring and the consequent reaction of the Islamic banks in GCC countries for the 2004–2013 period, including the recent financial crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach We address the research question that Investment Account holders (IAH) in GCC countries suc as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Bahrain and United Arab Emirates (UAE) monitor their banks. Regression analysis was used to examine the dependence level of profit-sharing investment account (PSIA) growth rate on bank risk characteristics (CAMEL variables). Then, the reaction of banks by regression influencing CAMEL variables of one-lagged period on PSIA growth rate was verified. Findings The results provide evidence of the first component of market discipline, i.e. the IAH monitoring, in KSA, Bahrain and UAE. The common result to the three countries is that market actors are concerned with accounting information on capital adequacy. However, in UAE, they are also interested in assets performance, whereas they look more at earnings in Bahrain. The results show evidence of the second component in Bahrain; the bank reaction to IAH monitoring and subsequently IAH discipline in Bahrain. Finally, the results do not support any impact of the financial crisis. Research limitations/implications The sample size is small although it is constituted by banks having a sufficient number of observations. Practical implications This study highlights the importance of IAH discipline, which would help prudential bank monitoring by regulators and wealth development for both investors and managers. It should increase the disclosure of relevant information as for the part of effective accountability of Islamic banks’ governance. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on market discipline by dealing with Islamic banks. It is one of the very few studies to investigate IAH discipline in Islamic banks and the second component of market discipline, i.e. the influence of monitoring on banks.

Determinants of CSR disclosure level in Islamic banks: evidence from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This study focuses on the analysis of CSR disclosure in the annual reports and websites of the 38 Islamic banks operating in GCC countries during 2014. Our objective is twofold: first, to assess the level and practices of CSR disclosure. Then, analyse the determinants of the decisions of such disclosure. The results of the content analysis show that the level of CSR disclosure in Islamic banks is still below average. Corporate governance is the main theme of this disclosure. Regarding the determinants, the results of the multiple regression analysis indicate that the independence of the board of directors, the characteristics of the SSB, the power of the investment account holders and the importance of the Islamic society in the country are the key factors determining CSR disclosure level in the annual reports and websites of Islamic banks in GCC countries.

Capital and Liquidity Risks and Financial Stability: Pre, During and Post Financial Crisis Between Islamic and Conventional Banks in GCC Countries, in the Light of Oil Prices Decline

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of capital ratio and liquidity risks and the effects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) periods on financial stability of conventional and Islamic banks before, during, and after GFC in the year of 2008 five GCC countries. To examine empirically the comparison between conventional and Islamic banks based on financial stability and soundness, as well as capitalization and liquidity in the light of the adverse effects of GFC and oil prices declining during the period of (2000-2017).Design/methodology/approach: By using time series data, this study employs Pedroni’s panel cointegration analysis to test the long run relationship between financial stability of conventional banks and Islamic banks as a dependent variable and independent variables including financial crisis under three periods; pre (2006-2007), during (2008-2009) and post (2010-2011) crisis. As well as employing Generalized Least Squares (GLS) to examine the effects between independent variables which are GDP, inflation, financial crisis periods, oil prices fluctuations risk, banking competition, financial sector development, liquidity risk and capital adequacy ratio and dependent variable which is financial stability of conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries before (2000-2006) during (2006-2009) and after (2010-2017) crisis.Findings: The findings of this research suggest that there is a long run relationship between financial stability of conventional and Islamic banks and capital ratios, liquidity risk and other independent variables. As well as study’s findings support some previous studies and it generally concludes that Islamic banks were performed better during the crisis than conventional banks. Whereas Islamic banks were more stable during crisis as their business model helped to limit the adverse effects of crisis in 2008, they were also more capitalized and less exposure to liquidity risk. Nevertheless, decrease in Islamic banks’ liquidity led some Islamic banks in GCC countries to declare significant losses in 2009.Originality/value: The result of the study contributes towards understanding the determinants of financial stability of both Islamic banks and conventional banks during financial crisis periods. It is important for policy ramifications by the Central Banks in GCC in terms of treating both types of banks differently to mitigate against future financial crises.

Does Financial Instability of Conventional Banks Affect Financial Stability of Islamic Banks in GCC Countries?

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between financial stability in Islamic banks and financial stability and soundness in conventional banks for five GCC countries.Design/methodology/approach: By using time series data, this study employs Pedroni’s panel cointegration to test the long-run relationship between financial stability of Islamic banks and financial stability of conventional banks in GCC countries during the period of (2000-2017). Besides, the study also employs Granger causality to test the causal link between stability of two types of banks (Islamic and Conventional). As well as employing Generalized Least Squares (GLS) to examine the effects between independent variables which are financial stability of conventional banks and their profitability, impact of period of financial crisis (2008/2009), oil prices fluctuations, banking concentration and financial sector development and financial stability of Islamic banks (as the dependent variable).Findings: The findings of this research suggest that there is a long-run, significant and positive relationship between the financial stability of conventional banks and its Islamic counterpart. At the same time, the financial stability of conventional banks is found to Granger caused the stability of Islamic banks.Originality/value: The results of the study contribute towards understanding the determinants of the financial stability of both Islamic banks and conventional banks and how they affect each other. This is important for policy ramifications by the Central Banks in GCC in terms of treating both types of banks differently to mitigate against future financial crises.

Factors influencing efficiency of Islamic banks in GCC region: Evidence from Arab Spring period

The main purpose of this research is to estimate efficiency and its factors of Islamic banks in GCC countries during the period 2005-2014. In this study, efficiency is measured using data envelopment analysis (DEA), which is divided into technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE), and scale efficiency (SE). The statistical methods to find the determinants are generalized least squares (GLS), generalized method of moments (GMM) and Tobit regressions. The DEA measures show that the highest efficiency found to be in Islamic banks in Kuwait. The statistical results demonstrate that size of banks is highly important to efficiency as larger Islamic banks could reduce their costs (based on economies of scale approach) and they could provide more services (more outputs) than smaller banks. Focusing on capitalisation, the results suggest that better capitalised banks have better efficiency. The lending services increase the efficiency significantly, which encourage Islamic banks in GCC region to focus more in providing loans. Furthermore, achieving profits is significantly and positively support the efficiency of Islamic banks. In contrast, foreign and local ownerships decreased efficiencies significantly. Additionally, banks in lower rates of economic growth operated more efficiently. Finally, the global financial crisis and Arab spring impacted the efficiency of Islamic banks in GCC countries dangerously. The strength point is that the efficiency of Islamic banks in GCC countries has not been affected by inflation (based on insignificant correlation between efficiency scores and inflation). These results actually help bankers and policy maker to evaluate the financial performance in banking sector. Moreover, identifying the positive and negative determinants allow banks to apply strategies to enhance efficiency.

Financial performance and stability in Islamic banks: Evidence from GCC countries

The main objective of this study is to find the determinants of financial performance and stability for Islamic banks in GCC countries during the period 2005-2014. In this study the profitability is represented as three main indicators: the return on assets (ROA), return on equities (ROE) and net interest margin (NIM). On the other side, the stability measures are z-score and capital ratio. The statistical methods in this paper are generalised least squares (GLS) and generalised method of moments (GMM). According to determinants of profitability, the size of and stability of Islamic banks supported the return significantly and positively. For the external variables, inflation decreased profitability significantly while market capitalisation has significant and positive effects on profits. Arab Spring only decreased the NIM significantly but other profitability ratios (ROA and ROE) have net been influenced by Arab Spring. For stability, the financial stability indicators (z-score and capital ratio) found to be strongly important to each other. Lending service supported the stability significantly but affected the capital ratio significantly and negatively. Moreover, the listed Islamic banks were more stable than the unlisted Islamic banks whereas, the listed banks had lower capitals. The strongest advantage in this study showed that Islamic banks in GCC countries were well capitalised by the period of Arab Spring. Generally, the global financial crisis has no effect upon financial performance and financial stability.

English

In principle, Islamic banking prohibits interest and advocates profit and loss sharing in its operations. Critics argue that in practice, Islamic banking is not totally interest free; but it focuses more on non-profit and loss sharing mechanisms instead. This study attempts to investigate the issue that the practices of Islamic banks are not totally free from interest and is arguably not totally in consonance with tenets of Sharia. It explores the relationship between the Profit rate offered by Islamic banks in GCC countries and the conventional interest rates. A long run analysis of the relationship between Profit Loss Sharing (PLS) rates and Conventional bank Interest rate (CBIR) for 18 Islamic Banks from the GCC countries conclude that there is no long run co-integration between CBIR and PLS rates. These results also seem to prevail even in the short run. The Variance Decompositions (VDC) analysis shows that except for Saudi Banks, there seems to be no significant link between the CBIR and the PLS. However for the case of Saudi banks, the link between PLS rate and interest rate is not strong enough to claim that Islamic Banking in practice is not interest free. Indeed, both the profit rates and the CBIR are linked to the real economy; and thus, this is reflected by the real rate of return in the economy. Therefore, we reject the claim that Islamic banks’ operations are not riba free.

Corporate governance: what about Islamic banks?

The purpose of this research is to analyse some key issues in corporate governance in Islamic banks. This governance has been analysed almost exclusively in the context of conventional banking markets. Islamic banking shows a fundamental departure from conventional banking. Our objective is also to compare corporate governance in Islamic banking firms in both the (GCC) countries and Southeast Asia countries (SAC). Moreover, this study investigates the effects of the relevant corporate governance variables of the financial performance of the Islamic banks. It focuses on a sample of 67 Islamic banks (42 Islamic banks in GCC countries and 25 Islamic banks in (SAC)) during the 2004–2012 period. Our investigation reveals that the board's fee, CEO duality and age positively and significantly affect the performance of Islamic banks. In contrast, the Shari'ah Supervisory Board characteristics do not have an impact on the financial performance of the Islamic banks.

Corporate Governance Disclosure Practices and Performance of Islamic Banks in GCC Countries

This paper investigates the impact of the level of corporate governance disclosure on bank performance by constructing a corporate governance disclosure index (CGDI) for 27 Islamic banks operating in five Arab Gulf countries. Using content analysis on the banks’ annual reports for 3 years (2011-2013), the composite index construction uses information on six important corporate governance mechanisms, namely board structure, risk management, transparency and disclosure, audit committee, Sharia supervisory board and investment account holders. The results demonstrate that Islamic banks adhere to 54% of the attributes addressed in the CGDI. The most frequently reported and disclosed elements are Sharia supervisory board followed by board structure and risk management. The findings related to countries revealed that only two countries, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, possess a higher level of CGDI. Our regression results provide evidence that Islamic banks with higher levels of corporate governance disclosure report high operating performance measured by return on assets and return on equity. Finally, as of the effect of internal and external factors, we identified four variables that were associated with bank performance, namely size, equity, risk and concentration.

Efficiency and Performance of Conventional and Islamic Banks in GCC Countries

Efficiency and Performance of Conventional and Islamic Banks in GCC Countries

Credit Risk of Islamic Banks in GCC Countries

This paper is about factors affecting credit risk of Islamic banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries using website data covering 25 Islamic banks over 2006 to 2010. This study uses non-performing loans as a proxy for credit risk, which is the dependent variable with three macro-economic, and six firm-specific independent variables. We find income is significantly negatively related to credit risk, which is consistent with findings in other countries about credit risk. Some firm-specific variables such as leverage, liquidity are also relevant variables for credit risk, which results are also consistent with bank behaviour reported in other studies. Credit risk is also broadly affected by both macro and firm-specific factors as found in other regions. Inflation and interest rates do not appear to be relevant. These results would suggest non-performing loan is broadly correlated with factors identified in other studies of banks.

Islamic Banks’ Income Structure and Risk: Evidence from GCC Countries

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between banks risk and Islamic financial products diversification for Islamic banks in Gulf Cooperation Councils’ Countries. Based on a sample of Islamic banks in GCC countries observed for the period 2002-2008, our research makes evidence that Islamic banks expanding into Profit-Loss-Sharing products present higher risk and higher insolvency risk than banks that invest less in this kind of arrangement. Whereas, no effect is found between the Non Profit-Loss-Sharing product’s net income and risk levels.

Cost and profit efficiency of conventional and Islamic banks in GCC countries

Using stochastic frontier approach, this paper investigates the cost and profit efficiency levels of 71 commercial banks in Gulf cooperation council countries over the period 1999–2007. This study also conducts a comparative analysis of the efficiency across countries and between conventional and Islamic banks. Moreover, we examine the bank-specific variables that may explain the sources of inefficiency. The empirical results indicate that banks in the Gulf region are relatively more efficient at generating profits than at controlling costs. We also find that in terms of both cost and profit efficiency levels, the conventional banks on average are more efficient than Islamic banks. Furthermore, we observe a positive correlation of cost and profit efficiency with bank capitalization and profitability, and a negative one with operation cost. Higher loan activity increases the profit efficiency of banks, but it has a negative impact on cost efficiency.