Behavioral biases affecting investment decisions of capital market investors in Bangladesh: A behavioral finance approach

Why banks should be concerned about incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the lending process? What is the motivation? This study aims to find the motives for considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in bank lending process. A primary survey has been conducted to know the current status and motivation for incorporating ESG factors in investment decisions. Sample comprised 30 private commercial banks (PCBs) operating in Bangladesh. Data collected were analyzed with graphs, descriptive statistics, and regression analysis. Findings of the study indicate that banks are mostly considering basic environmental, social and governance factors set by regulators qualitatively. They are lagging behind in considering the advanced ESG criteria needed for sustainable and efficient credit risk management. Based on motivation for incorporating ESG factors, it was found that banks pioneering in incorporating ESG factors in lending decisions are compensated through better financial performance. Findings of the study are expected to encourage practitioners and policy-makers to take more pragmatic steps to incorporate ESG risk factors quantitatively in lending decision-making process.

The biggest challenge facing countries, including India, is creating and managing an LCR (low carbon resilient) economy, which balances the need for high growth rates and is environmentally sustainable. The green bond market provides investors the means to help change the economy into an LCR economy. The study was undertaken to understand the key drivers and the factors influencing the individual retail investor’s decision to invest in green bonds. A survey instrument was designed and administered through the snowball sampling technique to 125 Indian respondents of various age groups who were eligible to invest in the Indian bond market. SPSS software was used to conduct a descriptive analysis followed by regression and conjoint analyses. The study results suggest that the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating and credit rating of the green bond issuers are the key factors that influence an individual’s investment decision. The findings also highlight that incentives such as tax exemptions and awareness of green bonds also affect an investor’s decision. This research stands out as one of the first attempts to understand the Indian retail investors’ perception of a green bond.

The aim of this paper is to illuminate the role of the socio-economic, cultural and religious context in shaping corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of banks in Bangladesh. The authors utilize content analysis of annual reports and websites of banks to identify CSR activities in healthcare, education and financial inclusion sectors. Structuration theory (ST) is used to explain how interactions between bank managers (as agents) with the social structures (institutions and government) shape CSR practices. The findings show that banks’ engagement in CSR activities is embedded in the social fabric of Bangladesh and not a result of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). It is also noted that Islamic banks focus their CSR activities on social justice, while other banks target education and other humanitarian issues. The authors contribute to the literature on the determinants of CSR by revealing the rationalizations of different actors in the production and reproduction of CSR practices in Bangladesh, an insight attributed to ST. The researchers conclude that Islamic beliefs influenced managers to mitigate poverty through CSR investments.