Issue #1 (Volume 13 2018)

Indonesian Islamic Banking Act requires conventional banks to spin-off their Islamic business units if they had fulfilled the spin-off criteria. Some of the Islamic business units had done the spin-off process although they are not fulfilling the spin-off criteria. The data showed that there is an efficiency decline after the spun-off. This study is going to examine the spin-off’s impact on the efficiency in spin-off banks. The method used in this paper is a difference-in-differences analysis. The sample used is four spin’s banks as treatment objects and two Islamic full-pledge banks as control objects. This research shows that there is an impact of spin-off policy on the efficiency in spin-off banks. There is an efficiency decrease in spin-off banks after the activities. It implies that the spin-off policy is not the only strategy that can be implemented. The policy-makers can choose other strategies to enhance the development of Islamic banking industry.

The facilitation of economic transactions and friendly investor environment is undertaken through effective performance of financial systems. Mobilization of savings and funding the profitable business opportunities are essential in improving the efficiency of intermediation. The study aims to evaluate the effects of nationalization and privatization on Indian banks. Various factors have been considered to examine the effects of privatization and nationalization, including sources of public sector inefficiency, measures of firm performance, econometric issues, and the mode of privatization. The data was collected for the period of 1998 to 2016 from Indian banks. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to evaluate the financial reports of the banks selected to evaluate the efficiency of input and output variables. Positive results were observed, concerning the efficiency and profitability of banking industry after banks’ privatization. Performance of private banks has been observed effective and efficient as compared to the public sector banks. Privatization of banks must be increased and maintained to sustain the efficiency of the banks and implement strategies to maintain the assets. Future studies may recruit more appropriate sample size to evaluate the privatization and nationalization effects of Indian banking industry. Greater number of banks will provide more precise results, using data envelopment analysis.

This paper examines how competition affects bank fragility and how this relation varies in normal times and during a financial crisis using the data from Indonesian commercial banking industry. The author finds significant evidence, both statistically and economically, that more competition reduces bank fragility. In particular, the author finds that a decrease in Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) of deposits by 100 points leads to an increase in bank Z-score by 14.22 percent from its mean. Similarly, a decrease in HHI of loans by 100 points leads to an increase in Z36 by 20.44 percent. This finding is consistent across different kinds of robustness tests, including endogeneity, as well as alternative bank fragility and competition measures. However, this competition-stability nexus holds only in normal times and is reversed during a financial crisis. This suggests that the impact of competition on bank fragility is conditional on the economic condition.

The crisis in the world financial markets, the capitalization of bank profits, the size of which is insufficient to maintain the existing level of the banking system of Kazakhstan, has actualized the quality problem not only in terms of forming credit portfolios of banks, managing banking risks, but also offering high-quality banking services.
Despite the fact that the banking services quality cannot directly affect the financial sphere, the production sphere, and also affect the sharp decline in the economy, the economic losses from poor banking services can significantly increase, causing significant losses to banks. At the same time, it should be considered that the financial losses of the firms as active participants in financial markets are significant in the amount of losses. Consequently, the banking services quality can cause not directly, but indirectly both the success of the banking business and the possible losses of banks. In order to manage the quality of banking services, it is necessary to have certain methods for analyzing and assessing the quality of banking services. This article attempts to solve this issue.
Using various research methods, based on obtaining real assessments of respondents, the present paper presents a methodology for the comprehensive assessment of banking services quality. The developed mechanism includes consolidation of organizational and methodological and economic and statistical methods of research: a five-step SERVQUAL model, integral and general indices, a multiple queue system, instruments of correlation and regression analysis that determine the level of customer satisfaction and problem characteristics of the quality of services offered.

The relationship between profit and bank market structure continues to raise questions amongst both policy makers and researchers. While some evidence supports a positive relationship between market structure, competition and profitability, other evidence seems to support the fact that profitability and related market share result from efficiency. Moreover, extant literature on South Africa is conflicting and seems to contradict anecdotal evidence. While some studies point to a competitive environment despite concentration, others suggest that concentration in the banking sector is harmful. Prosecution of banks for uncompetitive behavior also casts doubt on the conclusion that the South African banking sector is competitive. This paper examines the relationship between structure and conduct in the South African banking sector. Using the Berger (1995) discriminating tests, the effect of industry concentration, market share and efficiency on three measures of profitability is estimated on a panel of 11 South African banks for data between 1994 and 2016. The results show that concentration affects conduct. The profit-structure relationship is dominantly explained by the structure conduct hypothesis and partly by the efficient scale hypothesis. These results suggest that policy which discourages concentration and promotes competition in the banking sector is socially beneficial.

This paper examines whether ownership concentration and certain type of ownership can affect the financial performance of Lebanese banks. It uses longitudinal data from the largest 35 Lebanese banks over the period 2009–2014 and employs the panel regression model. The empirical results show that ownership concentration and certain type of shareholders play an important role in the area of corporate governance in Lebanese banks. In particular, bank financial performance is positively associated with ownership concentration, managerial ownership, and foreign and institutional ownerships; however, family ownership is not related to bank performance. Also, this paper shows that both ownership concentration and managerial ownership have a U-shaped relationship with bank performance. Several robustness tests largely confirm the findings, with important implications for policy-makers. The findings are crucial to policy-makers and bankers who are interested in tailoring good corporate governance principles for the Lebanese banking sector.

The study deals with the adoption of mobile banking services by respondents in UAE and the perception of risk factors by them. A model was developed on the Customer Adoption Process of mobile banking. The model is validated based on the data collected using the questionnaire from a sample of 90 respondents in UAE. Factor analysis is used to evaluate and analyze the responses. Belief in technology and the value it creates are the major driving force for respondents to adopt mobile banking. Respondents perceive that mobile banking helps in proper financial planning due to continuous monitoring the transactions and time saving. Lack of privacy in the mobile banking transactions and not all banks offering mobile banking services in UAE are the major challenges perceived by the respondents for non-adoption of mobile banking. Respondents identify time risk, financial risk and performance risk as the most predominant risk factors compared to other risks in the adoption process.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of banks in Indonesia. Specifically, this study has examined the static effect of ownership structure on bank performance in Indonesia over the period 1995–2006. The sample consists of 74 banks, namely 56 private banks, 15 community development banks (BPD), and three federal banks from 1995 to 2006. The data was analyzed using least-squares regression method, the general least squares method, and the method of random effects. The findings of this study show that the BPD performed better compared to private banks. This indicates that BPDs have better performance rather than private banks which is due to the fact that customers can be able to pay loans, they have special knowledge on that area and the performance of BPD is supervised by local government. In addition, the amount of equity, economic growth, financial crisis, and the financial ratios affect the performance of the bank. However, bank status has no effect on bank performance.

Retail banking is an essential part of the financial services, accounting for a large part of all banking revenues and capital raising. This business line is designing the vital sphere to apply the adequate decision making approach for customer engagement, sustain profitability and increase competitive advantages. The modern trends in retail banking globally are based on digital innovations, bionic transformation and new regulatory issues. Ukrainian banks have also taken the first step to apply on-line platforms and cashless methods in banking. However, problems occur in the implementation of current global trends in the domestic retail market, which need to be solved.
The authors have identified the key objectives of market changes in retail banking operational processes, which have significant impact on the banking ecosystem creation of retail banking in Ukraine. The review part of the article studied the modern challenges and advantages of retail banking development in Ukraine with comparative analyses of current global and regional issues, based on digital technologies and innovations in financial industry. The results of the analyses investigate the state of retail banking, and prospects of revenue growth, explain the key performance indicators of retail banking services, present insights of the key drivers of the Ukrainian’s banking efficiency gap. Based on operational risks and productivity analyses, the authors estimated the negative issues in Ukrainian retail banking. The results enable existing banks to determine the financial and operational risks, and increase the effectiveness of applying digital innovations in domestic retail banking sector. The recommendations for the enforcement of the market and regulatory changes of retail banking landscape in the case of Ukraine are suggested.

There is no consensus in theoretical and empirical studies about the relationship between bank competition and stability. This research aims to investigate the relationship between bank competition and stability in the UK. The analysis has been done on a large sample of UK banks for the period 2004–2014. There is quite contrasting evidence on the bank competition and bank soundness relationship. A unified framework has been developed to assess how different factors may make it more likely that the data favor one theory over another. The results suggest that in some cases a U-shaped relationship exists between bank competition and stability. Therefore the conclusion is that in order to protect the bank from different risk exposures a moderate level of bank competition is needed.

Credit institutions often refuse to lend money to small firms. Usually, this happens because small firms are not able to provide collateral to lenders. Moreover, given the small amount of required loans, the relative cost of full monitoring is too high for lenders. Group lending contracts have been viewed as an effective solution to credit rationing of small firms in both developing and industrialized countries. The aim of this paper is to highlight the potential of group lending contracts in terms of credit risk management. In particular, this paper provides a theoretical explanation of the potential of group lending programs in screening good borrowers from bad ones to reduce the incidence of non-performing-loans (NPL). This paper shows that the success of firms involved in selected group lending programs is due to the fact that co-signature is an effective screening device: more precisely, if lenders make a proper use of co-signature to screen good firms from bad ones, then only firms that are good ex-ante enter group lending contracts. So, the main argument of this paper is that well designed group lending programs induce good firms to become jointly liable, at least partially, with other good firms and discourage other – bad-firms to do the same. Specifically, co-signature is proven to be a screening device only in the case of a perfectly competitive bank sector.

This study investigates the relationship between Enterprise Risk Management adoption and implementation, and the performance of banks using a sample of four out of the seven Strategically Important Banks (SIB) listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange covering the period from 2005 q1 to 2015 q2. In this study, we determined a measure for Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) adoption or implementation (ERM index) using an integrated Enterprise Risk Management measurement model for the banking sector suggested by Soliman and Mukhtar (2017). A time series Johansen’s cointegration test was used to obtain evidence of the long-term association between ERM and performance, while Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) analysis was performed to gather evidence of causality relationship between ERM and performance. Finally, Generalized Impulse Response Function was used to obtain evidence of how performance responds to the introduction of a shock on Enterprise Risk Management. This study makes significant contributions to the existing body of knowledge, as it yields the first Enterprise Risk Management-performance-based empirical results that indicate a long-term relationship, causation effects, in addition to responding to performance ERM.

The goal of this study is to determine the elements that contribute to the profitability of commercial banks in Saudi Arabia. The study is important due to the fact that Saudi vision 2030 foresees Saudi Arabia as a global investment powerhouse and fulfilling this objective requires a profitable banking sector. The method chosen for the study is multiple regression analysis. The sample data is taken for the period ranging 2009 and 2015 for the 12 local banks. The research concludes that bank’s internal factors specifically, bank size, liquidity, credit risk and operational efficiency are significantly determining the profitability in the banks as compared to the economy’s macro-economic variables.

Modern development of banking business is connected with significant risks, which, taking into account globalization processes, political, economic problems in Ukraine and worldwide, development of technological and information systems, tend to transform, therefore it is very difficult to identify them and take preventive measures concerning their smoothing. Taking the abovementioned into account, it is reasonable to assess the modern state of risk management in the activity of Ukrainian banks and the influence on banking system development. For this purpose, the authors analyzed the performance of Ukrainian banks in the period 2017–2018 based on official statistic data of the National Bank of Ukraine and measures of economic standard of banking activity; studied the modern state of performing risk management in Ukrainian banks. The authors offer the process of effective organization of risk management system in national banks, which is a prerequisite for safe management of the bank. During the study, the authors found the significant decrease in the share of credits in total assets of Ukrainian banks and low quality of assets of Ukrainian banks during 2017–2018. This is caused by the significant amount of loan arrears, during the study period, the amount of loan arrears in 2016 increased by 36 times in comparison with 2008. The authors point to the need for improvement of assessment of banks’ riskiness, as a result of which they offer to use the methods of descriptive statistics for assessing risks and identifying them at all levels of banking activity.

The European integration intentions of Ukraine have made changes to the development of its economy and in particular to the financial sphere. Substantially, these changes affected the banking system development, which is a systemic element of the financial and credit market. The essence of these changes manifests itself in the increase of foreign banks presence, the need to implement the EU banking legislation norms and methods of banking business in the domestic practice. All this determines the urgency of the effective development of economic and legal aspects of Ukraine's banking security in the European integration context. From there, the purpose of the article is to clarify the concept of banking security, its main components and levels of development. The report data of the Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine for the last years have been analyzed. It is concluded that the lack of unified reports on the criteria for criminal offenses in the sphere of banking provides a dubious picture of the definite level of these crimes. It also testifies about the lack of control and superficial attitude of the controlling bodies towards the processes of the banking sphere criminalization. It is determined that the DGF indicators do not correspond to those of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine reports regarding the crimes committed in the sphere of banking. Lack of unified reports as well as the unified terminology and the classification envisaged at the legislative level of these socially dangerous actions complicates identifying the criminological indicators of the crimes in banking. Lack of practice in considering such categories of the cases and the corresponding resolutions of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Ukraine also does not contribute to the fair court decisions on these matters.

In the article, the essence of the concept of a banking institution “capitalization” is revealed. The current state of capitalization level of domestic banks is investigated. The directions of strengthening the capitalization are offered, which will increase the com¬petitiveness of domestic banking institutions in the world financial market and will ensure the national economy stability on the way toward integration into the world economy.
It is proved that the prospects for the development of any bank are largely determined by its capitalization level. Lack of proper development inhibits both individual banks and the banking sector as a whole.
In the context of the recent financial crisis, the provision of sufficient capital for banks has been one of the key issues, because the lack of capital was the greatest threat to the banking system stability. With this in mind, the issue of the banking system capitaliza¬tion is particularly topical.
Today, the development of the Ukrainian banking system under economic instability has faced the increase in competitiveness of domestic banks compared with foreign ones, in order to preserve the national priorities of the banking system in general under conditions of foreign capital movement.
The processes of concentration in the banking system of Ukraine are analyzed using Herfindahl-Hirschman index in terms of assets and equity, allowing to estimate the level of monopolization and, therefore, the impact on economic development. To con¬sider the increase in the level of capitalization and reliability of the banking institutions of Ukraine, it would be advisable, first of all, for banks to improve the quality of capital and to ensure a sufficient level of coverage of risks taken by banks.

Ensuring and strengthening the financial sustainability of banks is a difficult and not completely resolved task. It is inherent not only to developed countries, it has also be¬come nationally important in Ukraine, which was largely predetermined by the specifics of the domestic banks development. This is explained, in particular, by the banking insti¬tutions’ focus mainly on the relatively short-term activity, the need to work under high risk, resulting from economic and political instability in the country. Therefore, nowa¬days, it is urgent for each Ukrainian bank to focus on the main strategic objective – effec¬tive management and ensuring financial sustainability. The purpose of this study is to assess the current state and identify the features of ensuring financial sustainability of the banking system of Ukraine.
It was pointed out in the study that the negative tendency to increase the number of in¬solvent commercial banks during 2012–2017 indicates problems with providing finan¬cial sustainability to commercial banks. The tendencies have been revealed that testify to the problems of the banking system capitalization in Ukraine, which greatly affects its financial stability. Given the analysis of indicators of banks financial sustainability that characterize the bank capital adequacy, the conclusion is made on ambiguous as¬sessment of sufficient level of capitalization, since despite the correspondence of most values of coefficients to the indicators, there is a lack of capitalization of the domestic banking system and equity capital concentration. In general, the results made it pos¬sible to identify trends in the development of capital ratios and financial sustainability indicators and to shape appropriate measures to increase the level of capitalization in order to ensure the financial sustainability of the banking system.

The main component of the bank’s efficient operations is a sufficient amount of deposit resources. The sharp devaluation of the national currency, the unstable situation of banks, and a significant number of bankruptcies adversely affected the propensity of the subjects to save. In the banking sector, a critical situation has developed when depositors, having lost confidence in banking institutions, began to withdraw money from deposit accounts, and in the crisis, this issue becomes the most important, because the massive withdrawal of deposits significantly worsens the liquidity of banks. With that in mind, the purpose of the article is to consider the main trends and prospects for the savings market development in Russia.
The article analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia’s savings market. Using banking statistics, similarities and differences in the savings market are shown, based on determinants such as the share of deposits in bank liabilities; the volume of deposits in national and foreign currencies, the role of leading banks; number of accounts; the volume of guaranteed deposits; and banking conditions. The study focuses on an empirical analysis of the relationship between gross savings and banking variables such as demand deposits, interest spread, and the bank capital to assets ratio. The domestic market of household savings is analyzed. This conclusion is also made visible as a result of the correlation-regression experiment.