The determinants of intermediation margins in Islamic and conventional banks

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 704-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khemaies Bougatef ◽  
Fakhri Korbi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Aversion ◽  
Financial Intermediation ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Foreign Banks ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Conventional Banks

Purpose The distinctive feature of Islamic financial intermediation is its foundation on profit-and-loss sharing which reinforces solidarity and fraternity between partners. Thus, the bank margin and its determinants may differ between Islamic and conventional banks (CBs). The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the main factors that explain the bank margin in a panel of Islamic and CBs operating in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study will permit to identify the common and the specific determinants of the intermediation margins in dual banking systems. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a dynamic panel approach. The empirical analysis is carried out for a sample of 50 Islamic banks (IBs) and 126 CBs from 14 MENA countries. Findings The results reveal that net profit margins of IBs may be explained for the most part by risk aversion, inefficiency, diversification and economic conditions. With regard to CBs, their margins depend positively on market concentration and risk aversion and negatively on specialization, diversification, inefficiency and liquidity. Practical implications The significant impact of the degree of diversification on margins suggests that any policy analysis of the pricing behavior of banks should rely on its whole output. The high levels of margins in Islamic and CBs based in the MENA region may represent an obstacle to these countries to pursue their development process. Thus, policy makers in these countries should consolidate the role of capital markets and nonbanking financial institutions to provide alternative sources of funding and stimulate more competition. Social implications The positive relationship between concentration and net interest margins requires that policy makers should create competitive conditions if they want to lower the social cost of financial intermediation. The creation of competitive conditions may be achieved through encouraging the establishment of new domestic banks or the penetration of foreign banks. Originality/value The present study aims to contribute to the existing literature on the determinants of bank margins in three ways. First, the authors identify the factors that most explain bank margins for both conventional and IBs. The majority of previous studies examine the determinants of the profitability or the overall performance of banks and in particular conventional ones. Second, this paper employs two generalized method of moments (GMM) approaches introduced by Arellano and Bover (1995) and Arellano and Bond (1991). It differs from Hutapea and Kasri (2010) who employed the co-integration technique to examine the long-run relationship between Islamic and CB margins and their determinants in Indonesia. Third, unlike previous studies focusing on MENA region that use a small number of countries and a short sample period, the period of study covers 16 years from 1999 to 2014 and a large sample of countries (14 countries). This paper differs from Lee and Isa (2017) who applied the dynamic two-step GMM estimator technique introduced by Arellano and Bond (1991) to study the determinants of intermediation margins of Islamic and CBs located in Malaysia.

How does bank liquidity creation affect non-performing loans in the MENA region?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anas Alaoui Mdaghri
Keyword(s):  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Conventional Banks

PurposeThe study aims to empirically examine the effect of bank liquidity creation on non-performing loans (NPLs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.Design/methodology/approachBerger and Bouwman's (2009) three-step methodology was employed to calculate the level of liquidity creation of a selected sample of 111 commercial banks in ten MENA countries from 2010–2017. Next, the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator was used to investigate the linkage between bank liquidity creation and NPLs.FindingsThe results demonstrated a significant negative effect of bank liquidity creation on NPLs in the short and long term, implying that liquidity creation through both on- and off-balance sheet activities decreases NPLs. These findings accord with the “economic-enhancing” view. Furthermore, regression analysis investigated whether this relationship remained similar for Islamic and conventional banks. The results showed that liquidity creation diminishes Islamic and conventional bank NPLs.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical findings raise several significant policy implications. Bank liquidity creation may decrease rather than increase NPLs, although the process of liquidity creation is viewed as risky by rendering banks more illiquid. Therefore, policy-makers should encourage bank liquidity creation to stimulate the economy. In a robust economy, borrowers are more likely to repay their debts, consequently diminishing banks' NPLs.Originality/valueTo the best of the author's knowledge, the current study is the first to provide empirical evidence on the effect of bank liquidity creation on NPLs in MENA countries.

What Drives Banking Profitability During Financial Crisis and Political Turmoil? Evidence from the MENA Region

2021 ◽  
pp. 097491012110311
Author(s):  
Salma Zaiane ◽  
Fatma Ben Moussa
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Political Instability ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Bank Performance ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the study is to identify bank specific, macroeconomic, and stability determinants of both conventional and Islamic bank performance. We also try to identify evidence on the impact of financial crisis and political instability during the Arab Spring (AS) period. The study covers a sample of 123 banks (34 Islamic banks and 89 conventional banks from 13 Middle East and North Africa [MENA] countries) over the period 2000–2013. We use different proxies of performance as dependent variables: return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE), net income margin (NIM), and estimate several regressions using the dynamic generalized method of moments. Our results reveal that bank size, asset quality, specialization, and diversification are the major bank specific factors affecting performance of Islamic and conventional banks. Besides, macroeconomic indicators (GDP and inflation) and regulatory quality influence both types of banks differently. Finally, both the financial crisis and political instability negatively affect bank performance.

Assessing the bank profitability in the MENA region

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rim Ben Selma Mokni ◽  
Houssem Rachdi
Keyword(s):  
Method Of Moments ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Bank Profitability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
Econometric Technique

Purpose – Which of the banking stream is relatively more profitable in Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) region? Design/methodology/approach – The empirical study covers a sample of 15 conventional and 15 Islamic banks for the period 2002-2009.The authors estimate models using the generalized method of moments in system, of Blundell and Bond (1998). They exploit an up-to-date econometric technique which takes into consideration the issue of endogeneity of regressors to evaluate the comparative profitability of Islamic and conventional banks in the MENA region. Findings – Empirical analysis results show that the determinants’ significance varies between Islamic and conventional banks. Profitability seems to be quite persistent in the MENA region reflecting a higher degree of government intervention and may signal barriers to competition. Originality/value – The main interest is to develop a comprehensive model that integrates macroeconomic, industry-specific and bank-specific determinants. The paper makes comparison of the performance between two different banking systems in the MENA region. The authors consider a variable crisis to gain additional insights into the impacts of the financial crisis on MENA banking sector.

The validity of the irrelevant theory in Middle East and North African markets: conventional banks versus Islamic banks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akram Ramadan Budagaga
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Dividend Yield ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Growth Opportunity ◽  
Conventional Banks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the validity of irrelevant theory empirically by exploring the relationship between cash dividends, profitability, leverage and investment policy with the value of banking institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts Ohlson’s (1995) valuation model. The author estimates models by using static panel (random and fixed effects) techniques and the dynamic technique, namely, the GMM estimation. The empirical study covers a sample of 122 conventional and 37 Islamic banks listed on stock markets in 12 MENA countries over the period 1999–2018. Findings The empirical results show that dividend yield has no significant association with the value of conventional banks, whereas profitability, growth opportunity and leverage have a significant positive impact on the value of conventional banks. In contrast, the results for a sample of Islamic banks indicate that the dividend yield, profitability and leverage have a significant positive effect on the value of Islamic banks, whereas growth opportunity has no significant effect on the value of Islamic banks. Therefore, these results support, to a greater extent, the validity of the dividend irrelevance theory of Modigliani and Miller for conventional banks but would not be accepted for Islamic banks in the MENA region. Research limitations/implications This study is restricted to a sample of one type of financial firms, banking firms listed in the MENA countries. In addition, the study has dealt with one type of dividend (the cash dividend). Practical implications Highlighting the difference between conventional and Islamic banks is crucial to understanding dividend policy behavior and to providing investors information to be integrated in their valuation setting to make informed corporate decisions. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, the present study is the first of its kind that it draws a comparative analysis by testing empirically the validity of the Irrelevant Theory to banks in the MENA region covering a long time period in the recent past.

Bank risk-taking in the MENA region

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1367-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rim Ben Selma Mokni ◽  
Mohamed Tahar Rajhi ◽  
Houssem Rachdi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
Macroeconomic Determinants ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate determinants of risk-taking in Islamic banks and conventional banks located in the MENA region. Design/methodology/approach The empirical study covers a sample of 15 conventional and 15 Islamic banks for the period 2002-2009. The authors estimate models using both generalized least square random effect and generalized method of moments system approaches. Findings The results of the empirical analysis show that the determinants’ risk-taking significance varies between Islamic and conventional banks. Originality/value The main aim is to develop a comprehensive model that integrates macroeconomic determinants, industry-specific determinants, and bank-specific determinants. This paper performs a comparison of the risk-taking between two different banking systems in the MENA region.

Factors hindering economic development: evidence from the MENA countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Awdeh ◽  
Hassan Hamadi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Political Instability ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Military Spending ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Long Run

Purpose Despite the possession of considerable natural, financial and human resources, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffers low economic growth rates, high unemployment rates, high poverty rates and high illiteracy rates. The purpose of this paper is to find out the factors that hinder the development of economic activities in this region. Design/methodology/approach This study uses co-integration analysis and vector error correction model on a sample of 18 MENA countries, covering the period 2002–2016. It exploits gross domestic product (GDP) as a dependent variable, and public debt, trade balance, natural resources rents, importation of high technology, labour participation rate, military spending, population size, political instability and corruption as independent variables. Findings The paper finds that public borrowing, trade deficit, military expenditures, the low level of technological innovation, population, political turbulences and corruption, all hinder GDP in the long-run. Additionally, public debt, military spending and political instability obstruct GDP in the short run. The results also suggest the existence of Dutch diseases in both the short- and the long-run. On the other hand, labour market conditions do not seem to have any effect on the economic performance of the MENA countries. Originality/value In addition of examining an understudied sample of countries, this paper – unlike other studies on the MENA region that look at factors that boost economic growth – exploits factors that have possible negative impact on the economic situation of the region.

Risk and inefficiency

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 688-703
Author(s):  
Ines Ben Salah Mahdi ◽  
Mouna Boujelbène Abbes
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Finance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Net Interest Margin ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
Overconfidence Bias

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a behavioral analysis, through overconfidence, in order to understand how this cognitive bias could affect risk taking and inefficiency in Islamic and conventional banks operating in the MENA region. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the objective, the authors considered two overconfidence proxies, namely loan growth rate and net interest margin. Using the generalized method of moments method regressions for panel data, the authors found that the two overconfidence proxies have an effect on the risk exposure and consequently on the efficiency level of Islamic and conventional banks. Findings In general, overconfidence bias causes excessive risk taking and the degradation of the cost efficiency level. Moreover, these effects emerge with a delay of three to four years and have implications that are not too different for both types of banks. Originality/value The main motivation underlying this research study is the relatively new field of behavioral finance way in treating the topic of overconfidence. The particularity of the overconfidence bias topic is its assumption that financial decisions can be influenced by cognitive biases, ignoring the fact of a predetermined risk-return calculation.

Is Islamic bank profitability driven by same forces as conventional banks?

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajer Zarrouk ◽  
Khoutem Ben Jedidia ◽  
Mouna Moualhi
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Subprime Crisis ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Bank Profitability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Islamic Bank ◽  
Conventional Banks

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.

Macroeconomic significance of transaction costs in microfinance intermediation

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 2307-2324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vighneswara Swamy
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Financial Intermediation ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Foreign Banks ◽  
Panel Var ◽  
Causality Analysis ◽  
Operating Expense ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Functional Efficiency ◽  
Positive Direct

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the macroeconomic significance of transaction costs in microfinance intermediation and explain how the deposit mobilization and micro lending impact the microfinance transaction costs. It presents some empirical evidence as building blocks for the theory of financial intermediation that aims at strengthening the efficiency of financial intermediation in the context of preferential credit and or the microfinance sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the panel data consisting of different groups of banks in India (such as public sector banks, private banks and foreign banks) data across a period from March 1993 to March 2009 to estimate the panel VAR model to determine the determinants of transaction cost model in financial intermediation. The study also uses the panel Granger causality analysis to test the direction of causation to know the behavior of the operating expense of the banks in their financial intermediation process.FindingsThe study reveals that there is a positive direct relationship between operating expense and priority sector lending by banks. The findings show that the transaction costs act as a barrier for the banking firms in microfinance intermediation; and, the banks are able to manage the transaction costs of microfinance intermediation with an increase in overall deposit mobilization and increased non-microfinance lending. The study recommends that there is a need to upscale the functional efficiency of microfinance intermediaries.Originality/valueThis study offers to bridge the research gap and adds novel information to the literature on microfinance intermediation. It is the first empirical paper showing the macroeconomic significance of transaction costs in microfinance intermediation.

Macroeconomic shocks, fragility and home financing in Malaysia: can rental index be the answer?

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosylin Mohd Yusof ◽  
Farrell Hazsan Usman ◽  
Akhmad Affandi Mahfudz ◽  
Ahmad Suki Arif
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Macroeconomic Shocks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Rental Rate ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Conventional And Islamic Banks

Purpose This study aims to investigate the interactions among macroeconomic variable shocks, banking fragility and home financing provided by conventional and Islamic banks in Malaysia. Identifying the causes of financial instability and the effects of macroeconomic shocks can help to foil the onset of future financial turbulence. Design/methodology/approach The autoregressive distributed lag bound-testing cointegration approach, impulse response functions (IRFs) and forecast error variance decomposition are used in this study to unravel the long-run and short-run dynamics among the selected macroeconomic variables and amount of home financing offered by both conventional and Islamic banks. In addition, the study uses Granger causality tests to investigate the short-run causalities among the selected variables to further understand the impact of one macroeconomic shock to Islamic and conventional home financing. Findings This study provides evidence that macroeconomic shocks have different long-run and short-run effects on amount of home financing offered by conventional and Islamic banks. Both in the long run and short run, home financing provided by Islamic banks is more linked to real sector economy and thus is more stable as compared to home financing provided by conventional banks. The Granger causality test reveals that only gross domestic product (GDP), Kuala Lumpur Syariah Index (KLSI)/Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) and house price index (HPI) are found to have a statistically significant causal relationship with home financing offered by both conventional and Islamic banks. Unlike the case of Islamic banks, conventional home financing is found to have a unidirectional causality with interest rates. Research limitations/implications This study has focused on analyzing the macroeconomic shocks on home financing. However, this study does not assess the impact of financial deregulation and enhanced information technology on amount of financing offered by both conventional and Islamic banks. In addition, it is not within the ambit of this present study to examine the effects of agency costs and information asymmetry. Practical implications The analysis of cointegration and IRFs exhibits that in the long run and short run, home financing provided by Islamic banks are more linked to real sector economy like GDP and House Prices (HPI) and therefore more resilient to economic vulnerabilities as compared to home financing provided by conventional banks. However, in the long run, both conventional and Islamic banks are more susceptible to fluctuations in interest rates. The results of the study suggest that monetary policy ramifications to improve banking fragility should focus on stabilizing interest rates or finding an alternative that is free from interest. Social implications Because interest plays a significant role in pricing of home loans, the potential of an alternative such as rental rate is therefore timely and worth the effort to investigate further. Therefore, Islamic banks can explore the possibility of pricing home financing based on rental rate as proposed in this study. Originality/value This paper examines the unresolved issues in Islamic home financing where Islamic banks still benchmark their products especially home financing, to interest rates in dual banking system such as in the case of Malaysia. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, studies conducted in this area are meager and therefore is imperative to be examined.

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