Incentives for conventional banks for the conversion into Islamic banks: evidence from Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-287
Author(s):  
Yasushi Suzuki ◽  
S.M. Sohrab Uddin ◽  
A.K.M. Ramizul Islam

Purpose The skyrocketing rise of Islamic banking is noticeable in not only Islamic countries but also non-Islamic countries during the past few decades. Many conventional banks have started Islamic banking generally by maintaining separate branches/windows and occasionally by pursuing a complete conversion strategy. Following the global trend, two of the full-fledged Islamic banks adopted a conversion strategy consecutively in 2004 and 2008 in Bangladesh. The number of the conversion case is still limited. At this backdrop, this study aims to identify the incentives in the conversion strategy into Islamic banks. Design/methodology/approach Using the secondary data from the annual reports of the sample banks for both pre- and post-conversion periods, this study adopts the “case study” approach upon the comparison with the performance of conventional banks and other types of Islamic banks. Findings It is apparent that higher reserve requirement for conventional banks provides the incentive for the conversion into Islamic banks given with less reserve requirement. Under the protective regulatory framework, these converted Islamic banks may have enjoyed the rent for learning during the initial phase after the conversion, even though majority of the funds of these banks are collected from high-cost mudaraba time deposits. Basically, the credit strategy of the converted banks has been quite conservative, resulting in the concentrated portfolio selection on the asset-backed financing. However, the recent engagement of these banks in the Shari'ah-based participatory financing makes their performance a bit vulnerable. Research limitations/implications It is becoming difficult to justify a protective regulatory framework for incubating infant Islamic banks if the rent for learning given under the framework would not encourage them to challenge and absorb the risk and uncertainty associated with Shari’ah-based participatory financing. The current mode of profit–loss sharing (PLS) makes it difficult for the regulators to create an appropriate incentive for Islamic banks to challenge the equity-based financing. Originality/value The number of the conversion case is limited. Less has been done to investigate the reasons why the conventional banks opt for the conversion into Islamic banks, particularly in Bangladesh.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 729-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taslima Julia ◽  
Salina Kassim

Purpose Environmental degradation has been identified as one of the major impediments for development in Bangladesh. The World Health Organization has ranked Bangladesh fourth among the most polluted countries in the world. Faced with this challenge, the Government of Bangladesh introduced the Green Financing Policy and encouraged banks to participate in offering green financing as part of the efforts to promote environment-friendly economic activities for sustainable economic development. This study aims to examine the financial performance of selected commercial banks that offered green financing in Bangladesh in the period from 2012 to 2014. Design/methodology/approach In achieving this objective, the paper has divided the various sections of green banking policy under Maqasid Shariah framework of Imam Al-Ghazali, which is preserving faith, life, intellect, posterity and wealth. After that, green performance is compared between five conventional banks and five Islamic banks, according to the secondary data gathered from the annual reports and sustainability reports, as well as verified based on interviews. Finally, based on quantitative and qualitative thematic analysis approach, it is identified which banks meet most of the Shariah objectives along with performing sustainably. Findings The study finds that none of the banks fully meet the green/sustainable policy requirements; however, the Islamic banks are ahead in preserving faith, intellect and wealth circulation. Research limitations/implications This research is mostly based on secondary data; banks’ non-disclosure of green data was an impediment to run in-depth and fair comparisons. However, to check the reliability and validity of secondary data, two heads of sustainable banking department from conventional bank and two from Islamic bank have been interviewed. Practical implications Based on the findings, several recommendations are made on ways to expedite green financing, which can ultimately enhance contribution of Islamic banks toward the sustainable economic growth of the country while fulfilling Maqasid Shariah. Social implications Because the green banking policy aim is very much in line with Maqasid Shariah which is the aim of Islamic banks, Islamic banks can presumably contribute more to the sustainable economic growth of the country by aligning their entire operations with green policies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is perhaps the earliest initiative to compare Islamic and conventional banks’ green performances in Bangladesh.


Author(s):  
Hajer Zarrouk ◽  
Khoutem Ben Jedidia ◽  
Mouna Moualhi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether Islamic bank profitability is driven by same forces as those driving conventional banking in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Distinguished by its principles in conformity with sharia, Islamic banking is different from conventional banking, which is likely to affect profitability. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds on a dynamic panel data model to identify the banks’ specific determinants and the macroeconomic factors influencing the profitability of a large sample of 51 Islamic banks operating in the MENA region from 1994 to 2012. The system-generalized method of moment estimators are applied. Findings The findings reveal that profitability is positively affected by banks’ cost-effectiveness, asset quality and level of capitalization. The results also indicate that non-financing activities allow Islamic banks to earn higher profits. Islamic banks perform better in environments where the gross domestic product and investment are high. There is evidence of several elements of similarities between determinants of the profitability for Islamic and conventional banks. The inflation rate, however, is negatively associated with Islamic bank profitability. Practical Implications The authors conclude that profitability determinants did not differ significantly between Islamic and conventional banks. Many factors are deemed the same in explaining the profitability of conventional as well as Islamic banks. The findings reported in the current paper might be of interest for policy makers. It is recommended to better implement non-financing activities to improve Islamic bank profitability. Originality/value Unlike the previous empirical research, this empirical investigation assesses the issue whether Islamic banks profitability is influenced by same factors as conventional model. It enriches the literature in this regard by considering the specificities of Islamic banking to identify the determinants of profitability. Moreover, this study considers a large sample (51 Islamic banks) through a different selection of countries/banks than previous studies. In addition, the period of study considers the subprime crisis insofar it ranges from 1994 to 2012. Hence, this broader study allows the authors to draw more consistent conclusions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arfianti Novita Anwar

<p>This study aims to analyze the performance of Islamic banks and conventional banks before and after the implementation of Islamic Banking Act 2008. The performance will be measured using CAMEL ratio selected. This research is considered essential in examining the positive contribution of the application of the Act to improve the performance of Islamic banks in Indonesia. By using secondary data, this study compared the performance of Islamic banks with that conventional bank selected as samples during the study period. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test for inter-temporal and Mann-Whitney test for inter-bank. Inter-temporal Tests conducted on Islamic Banking showed that a significant difference was only seen in the NPF ratio of 2 years before and after implementation of Islamic Banking Act. As for conventional banks showed a more diverse ie for 1 year before and after the application of the Law on Islamic Banking there are significant differences for the ROA and ROE, two years before and after implementation of the Law Islamic banking there are significant differences for the CAR, ROA, ROE and NIM and for the overall test a significant difference to CAR, ROA, ROE, NIM and efficiency. Inter-bank testing showed that prior to the application of Islamic Banking Act there are significant differences between conventional banks and Islamic banks to CAR, ROA and efficiency. Furthermore, after the application of Islamic Banking Act there is a significant difference for the CAR and LDR / FDR.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhtar Ali Saeed Mohammed ◽  
Fadillah Mansor

Purpose This paper aims to analyse whether the practices of Islamic banks in Bahrain are in line with value-based Islamic banking (VBIB) and reporting disclosure in the annual reports towards achieving their fundamental objectives of human-centred economic development and social justice. Design/methodology/approach Based on Islamic finance, Islamic economic principles and perception of Maqasid al-Shari’ah, this paper examines and assesses the current practices of Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) in Bahrain through content analysis of financial and annual reports of Islamic banks in Bahrain and interviews of Islamic banking experts. Findings The findings reveal that value-based banking (VBB) has not been translated fully into practice by the Islamic banks in Bahrain. Research limitations/implications The data analysis was restricted to Islamic banks in Bahrain. Practical implications This paper identifies the need for reporting standard development to improve the VBB practice in Bahrain in the future. Looking at the objectives of the IFIs, this paper introduces the concept of VBB in Bahrain, which includes ethical banking, responsible banking and social responsibility. The study adds value not only to the current Islamic finance literature but also helps many stakeholders, including prospective academics, who may conduct comparative studies in different jurisdictions throughout the world. Originality/value The specific contribution of this paper is the identification of the VBB practices and related disclosure in the Islamic banking industry in Bahrain. The study is useful to harmonise and standardise the practices of VBIB by the contemporary Islamic banks in Bahrain.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2087-2112
Author(s):  
Ioannis Anagnostopoulos ◽  
Emmanouil Noikokyris ◽  
George Giannopoulos

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to comparatively examine the cost and the overlooked revenue efficiency of Islamic and commercial banks in the aftermath of the crisis, operating in nine MENA-based countries during the 2010-2017 financial period, where the established empirical work is relatively limited. The authors also update the research where they use recent data sets and they provide for a targeted, structured literature review pre- and post-crisis in the Gulf region. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine cost and revenue efficiency of 25 major Islamic banks (IBs) and 25 major conventional banks (CBs). They conduct tests on the determinants of such variables. In the first stage of the analysis, they measure efficiency by using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. The analysis performs regressions where these also reveal that the bank efficiency index is influenced by various bank type-specific attributes. It also seems that tighter restrictions on bank activities are negatively associated with bank efficiency. Second stage analysis, which accounts for banking environment and bank-level characteristics, confirms these results. Findings Conventional banks are both more cost and revenue efficient than Islamic banks over the period under examination. The analysis also reveals that the bank efficiency index is influenced by bank-type attributes. Greater presence of fixed capital resources has positive effects on growth in both Islamic and conventional banking. The major constraints impeding Islamic banking growth include labour costs. The authors examine whether and how bank-type orientation affects the cost and revenue efficiency of conventional and Islamic banks. They find that post-crisis Islamic banks underperform their conventional counterparts on both accounts within a mixed banking system. Research limitations/implications This study did not include comparative data before the 2008 financial crisis. There is also a great deal of heterogeneity among Islamic banks in the samples that have been examined here and by other researchers and the constructed efficiency scores should be interpreted cautiously as divergent Islamic banks are pooled in the same samples. Practical implications This study identified factors that may help bank managers to improve their financial outlook by controlling revenue and cost efficiency profitability. These factors could as well help to understand how some indicators affect both cost and revenue efficiency, particularly in Islamic banking. It also seems that tighter restrictions on Islamic bank activities are negatively associated with bank efficiency. Islamic banks that directly compete with their conventional counterparts in the aftermath of the crisis are less efficient on both the cost and revenue frontiers. They are potentially hindered by the differential regulations of supervising authorities in dual banking systems. Social implications The authors provide recommendations regarding regulatory and other issues that are relevant to Islamic banking and further research is suggested. Findings are relevant to a variety of stakeholders (managers, policymakers and regulators). Islamic banking authorities could re-examine the benefits of partially moving to a more standardized/conventional system of banking by lifting some trading restrictions. In addition, developing and maintaining managerial skills is an indispensable instrument for the long-term endurance of any system. A related aspect is thus an effort to determine the holistic efficiency (including managerial) of Islamic banks as a guide for policymakers to improve managerial performance. Originality/value There is relatively limited empirical work that investigates the efficiency between Islamic and conventional banking in the aftermath of the crisis in the Gulf region despite the growing importance of this region on political and economic levels. The authors also examine the revenue efficiency measure often under-researched in the literature and particularly important for comparative studies. Overseas-owned banks have attained much higher infiltration levels in middle-eastern countries over the past decade. It has also been suggested that market penetration differences may also be related to bank efficiency concerns among countries and their financial systems as opposed to types of banks.


Author(s):  
Yasushi Suzuki ◽  
S.M. Sohrab Uddin

Purpose – This paper aims to draw on the bank rent approach to evaluate the existing pattern of financing of Islamic banks and to propose a fairly new conceptualization of Islamic bank rent. Design/methodology/approach – The bank rent theory is adopted to generate the theoretical underpinnings of the issue. After that, empirical evidence from the banking sector of Bangladesh is used to support the arguments. Findings – Repeated transactions under murabaha are observed in the Islamic banking sector of Bangladesh. The asset-based financing gives the Bangladeshi Islamic banks relatively higher Islamic bank rent opportunity for protecting their “franchise value” as Shari’ah-compliant lenders, while responding to the periodic volatility in transaction costs of profit-and-loss sharing. Research limitations/implications – The bank rent approach suggests that the murabaha syndrome can be ironically justifiable. On the other hand, the current profit-and-loss sharing risk provides an idea of the difficulty in assuming the participatory financing with higher credit risk in practice. Islamic scholars and the regulatory authority need to design an appropriate financial architecture which can create different levels of rent opportunities for Islamic banks to avail the benefit from the variety of Islamic financing as declared by Islamic Shari’ah. Originality/value – This paper introduces a fairly new concept of “Islamic bank rent” to make sense of the murabaha syndrome. This approach also contributes to clarifying the unique risk and cost to be compensated with the spreads that Islamic banks are expected to earn. To draw empirical evidence, as far as it could be ascertained, the data of both Islamic banks and conventional banks with Islamic banking windows/branches are used for the first time.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichem Hamza ◽  
Safa Kachtouli

Purpose – The expansion of the Islamic banking industry seems to accentuate the banking competition in MENA and Southeast Asia where conventional and Islamic banks coexist. In this context, the research aims\ to examine the competitive conditions and the market power of the conventional and Islamic banks during the period 2004-2009 in MENA and Southeast Asia region. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a variety of structural and non-structural measures related to the traditional approach and the new empirical approach of the industrial organization. The methodology is based on set of measures of the competition and market power. The first measure is a set of concentration ratios (C3, C5) and Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI). The second measures are the Panzar and Ross H statistic and the Lerner index based on econometric estimations with the aim of evaluating the structure of market and measuring its power in terms of price setting. Findings – The results indicate that under the HHI index, both markets are low concentrated, while according to the concentration ratios, the Islamic market is considered as moderately concentrated. The estimations results, through the H-PR-statistic of Panzar and Ross related to degree of competition and the Lerner index of market power, indicate that both markets are characterized by a monopolistic competition and the Islamic banking expressed a high degree of market power. Research limitations/implications – The research focuses exclusively on the countries where the data are available and excludes the other countries where competition and market power might have different forms. Practical implications – In a competitive environment, each bank is required to analyze the structure of its market and competitive conditions, in order to develop a business strategy and effective action plans. In the context of the multiplication of the Islamic banks in the MENA and Southeast Asia, the enhancement of Islamic bank competitiveness by offering new products is determinant for their success. Originality/value – To the best of the authors' knowledge few studies have examined this subject in a comparative analysis between the Islamic and conventional banks. So the authors contribute to the literature on Islamic banking by considering a sample of Islamic and conventional banks operating in the same countries in order to examine the existence or not of difference between them.


Author(s):  
Imran Khan ◽  
Mehreen Khan ◽  
Muhammad Tahir

Purpose This study aims to investigate the performance differences of Islamic and conventional banks in Pakistan by using financial ratios. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzed 5 Islamic and 19 conventional banks for the periods of 2007-2014. Two types of analyses were performed – sample t-test and logistic regression. Analysis was also performed on sub-sample considering crisis effects. Findings It was found that Islamic banks are relatively better in profitability, efficiency, risk and liquidity management, while conventional banks are superior in asset quality. Higher efficiency of Islamic banks contradicts with previous studies conducted in Pakistan. Probable reasons for this include phenomenal expansion of Islamic banking industry and its broad appeal to customers in Pakistan. Risk management practices of Islamic banks are superior to conventional banks, as Shariah rules restrict pure speculation in monetary terms. Better asset quality of conventional banks is attributed to their recognition and product diversity. During the crisis, Islamic banks were found less profitable than their counterparts. Research limitations/implications This study suggests that high operational efficiency of Islamic banks should be converted into technical efficiency by improving human resource, introducing innovative market-oriented products and prudent resource allocations. As operational efficiency does not promise returns in long term, to sustain ongoing phenomenal growth of Islamic banking, management needs to gain customer trust. Originality/value This is an original research that compares performance differences across Islamic and conventional banks by using financial ratios.


Author(s):  
Lívia Tálos ◽  
Gyöngyi Bánkuti ◽  
Jozsef Varga

Islamic banking is a banking system that is based on the principles of sharia or Islamic law. The principles of Islamic finance forbid interest - this is commonly known as riba - charity (zakat), forbid high risk (gharar), forbid some transactions like gambling, and are based on PLS (Profit-Loss Share). The most important concept is that both charging and receiving interest are strictly forbidden; money may not generate profits. Islamic banks have largely survived the global economic crisis intact and they offer a safer operation than conventional banks. CAMEL analysis is a supervisory rating system to classify a bank's overall condition according to Capital (C), Assets (A), Management (M), Earnings (E) and Liquidity (L). In the analysis a variety of indicators were calculated based on data from the annual reports. The results of the four banks were averaged separately, then classified (1 = good, 2 = adequate, 3 = satisfactory, 4 = acceptable, 5 = unacceptable) according to the desired criteria, the changes over the years and the relative values of the four banks.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (01) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Aprila Dwi Widayati ◽  
Raditya Sukmana

<p>The purpose of this research is to examine the difference of Islamic Social Reporting (ISR) disclosure level of islamic banking in Indonesia and Malaysia based on ISR index. The samples were selected by purposive sampling method. The samples that is used in this research is five islamic banks in Indonesia and five islamic banks in Malaysia. This research uses secondary data, that is annual report from 2010-2012. Annual reports were analyzed using content analysis method. Furthermore, the differences of ISR disclosure level were tested using independent sample t-test. The results showed that ISR disclosure level of islamic banking in Indonesia is better than ISR disclosure level of islamic banking in Malaysia. Based on the results of hypothesis testing, found that there are significant differences in the disclosure level between islamic banking in Indonesia and Malaysia.</p><p><br />Keywords: Islamic Social Reporting, Islamic Social Reporting Index, Islamic Banking</p>


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