Sarwar Uddin Ahmed

A well governed institution is expected to use its resources optimally and, thus, perform more efficiently and contribute positively to economic development of a nation. However, often, it can be seen that poor management of the stakeholders leads to less than optimal strategic directions for an institution. Due to recent global financial crisis and rising issues of the Bangladeshi banking sector, corporate governance is one of the factors that have gained considerable attention. Recent drive of the governance issues of the banking sector of Bangladesh is expected to bring positive change in the financial sector and, hence, it is crucial to assess whether complying with governance codes leads to desired outcome or not. Specifically, the main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between performances of commercial banks with corporate governance factor along with some internal and macroeconomic variables. Thus, the listed commercial banks in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) of Bangladesh were considered for the study. Subsequently, considering data availability of the time period (2011-2014), 29 listed commercial banks in the DSE have been considered and, hence, Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression models were used through Eviews 8.0 for analyzing the data. Though the study shows a positive relation between corporate governance and performances of banks, the statistical insignificance of the relation raises concern regarding various issues of corporate governance in the financial sector of Bangladesh.

Keywords: corporate governance, financial institutions, performances of commercial banks.
JEL Classification: G21, G30, G38, G39, O16

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.

Researchers in developed countries argue that banks should be free to decide about their sustainability initiatives without the interference from regulators. However, researchers in developing countries tend to think differently. This study aimed to focus on this argument by examining the linkage between sustainability and financial performance (SFP) aided through regulatory policy guidelines. In doing so, a comparative study was conducted between 2012 and 2018 to compare the pre- and post-status of SFP due to implementation of policy measures. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores were calculated and related with financial performance (return on assets) through regression analysis. The sample data includes 30 private commercial banks (PCBs) in Bangladesh. The analysis of the data shows that during these years, the overall sustainability performance, i.e., environmental, social and governance scores of the banks increased by 33 percent. However, the transformation of this performance into better financial performance could not been established even when age and size were taken into account. The current turbulent state of the banking sector due to growing non-performing loan has been identified as the single most influential factor for this neutral result. Research findings suggest that policy guideline initiatives do have a positive impact on bank sustainability. However, exogenous factors, such as political interference, may appease, deviate and prolong its impact on financial performance. This work will enhance the understanding of academics and policy-makers about the feasibility and impact of the policy-led sustainability model in the banking sector, particularly in developing countries.