IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i8p6892-d1127586.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Sustainability Activities Affect the Financial Performance of Banks? The Case of Indonesian Banks

Author

Listed:
  • Herenia Gutiérrez-Ponce

    (Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain)

  • Sigit Arie Wibowo

    (Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
    Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta 55183, Indonesia)

Abstract

The disclosure of information on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks is increasingly important in financial and banking entities and the evaluation of its impact by supervisors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between sustainability and financial performance in a geographical context that has not been studied. Specifically, this study examines the relationship of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance to the financial performance of Indonesian banking companies during the period 2010–20. As a methodology, we used panel data (ESG data from Thomson Reuters), statistical correlations, and regression models. Financial performance was measured by Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Tobin’s Q (TQ). The findings show that ESG is negatively related to all dependent variables (ROA, ROE, and TQ), but each ESG pillar (environmental, social, and governance) yields different results. The social pillar has a significant positive effect on ROA and ROE, governance has a significant negative effect on TQ, and business environment has no significant impact on financial performance. As to the study’s limitations/implications, the findings advance decision makers’ understanding of the quality of organizations’ contributions to improving ESG reporting in financial reporting. The study’s findings on the relationship between ESG reporting and banks’ financial performance also have implications for stakeholders, ESG policymakers, academics, and assurance providers. While the specific research gap addressed is the relationship between ESG and financial performance in Indonesian banking companies, other interesting issues are the voluntary vs. mandatory nature of these reports and the impact of each modality on the variables considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Herenia Gutiérrez-Ponce & Sigit Arie Wibowo, 2023. "Do Sustainability Activities Affect the Financial Performance of Banks? The Case of Indonesian Banks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6892-:d:1127586
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6892/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6892/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Maria Baldini & Lorenzo Dal Maso & Giovanni Liberatore & Francesco Mazzi & Simone Terzani, 2018. "Role of Country- and Firm-Level Determinants in Environmental, Social, and Governance Disclosure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 79-98, June.
    2. Wu, Meng-Wen & Shen, Chung-Hua, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility in the banking industry: Motives and financial performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 3529-3547.
    3. Eduardo Duque-Grisales & Javier Aguilera-Caracuel, 2021. "Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Scores and Financial Performance of Multilatinas: Moderating Effects of Geographic International Diversification and Financial Slack," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(2), pages 315-334, January.
    4. Anna Avrampou & Antonis Skouloudis & George Iliopoulos & Nadeem Khan, 2019. "Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from leading European banks," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 743-757, July.
    5. Branco, Manuel Castelo & Rodrigues, Lúcia Lima, 2008. "Social responsibility disclosure: A study of proxies for the public visibility of Portuguese banks," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 161-181.
    6. repec:eme:jbsed0:jbsed-03-2021-0027 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Nizam, Esma & Ng, Adam & Dewandaru, Ginanjar & Nagayev, Ruslan & Nkoba, Malik Abdulrahman, 2019. "The impact of social and environmental sustainability on financial performance: A global analysis of the banking sector," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 35-53.
    8. Maria-Gaia Soana, 2011. "The Relationship Between Corporate Social Performance and Corporate Financial Performance in the Banking Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(1), pages 133-148, November.
    9. Elena Platonova & Mehmet Asutay & Rob Dixon & Sabri Mohammad, 2018. "The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure on Financial Performance: Evidence from the GCC Islamic Banking Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(2), pages 451-471, August.
    10. Gaurav Jyoti & Ashu Khanna, 2021. "Does sustainability performance impact financial performance? Evidence from Indian service sector firms," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 1086-1095, November.
    11. Nazim Hussain & Ugo Rigoni & René P. Orij, 2018. "Corporate Governance and Sustainability Performance: Analysis of Triple Bottom Line Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 411-432, May.
    12. Emilia Peni & Sami Vähämaa, 2012. "Did Good Corporate Governance Improve Bank Performance during the Financial Crisis?," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 41(1), pages 19-35, April.
    13. Bert Scholtens, 2009. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the International Banking Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(2), pages 159-175, May.
    14. Jamile Youssef & Sara Diab, 2021. "Does quality of governance contribute to the heterogeneity in happiness levels across MENA countries?," Journal of Business and Socio-economic Development, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(1), pages 87-101, May.
    15. Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Sina Kirkerud & Kim Theresa & Tanveer Ahsan, 2020. "The impact of sustainability (environmental, social, and governance) disclosure and board diversity on firm value: The moderating role of industry sensitivity," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1199-1214, March.
    16. Sylvia Maxfield & Liu Wang & Mariana Magaldi de Sousa, 2018. "The Effectiveness of Bank Governance Reforms in the Wake of the Financial Crisis: A Stakeholder Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 485-503, June.
    17. Giuliana Birindelli & Paola Ferretti & Mariantonietta Intonti & Antonia Iannuzzi, 2015. "On the drivers of corporate social responsibility in banks: evidence from an ethical rating model," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 19(2), pages 303-340, May.
    18. Finger, Maya & Gavious, Ilanit & Manos, Ronny, 2018. "Environmental risk management and financial performance in the banking industry: A cross-country comparison," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 240-261.
    19. Herenia Gutiérrez-Ponce & Julian Chamizo-González & Nuria Arimany-Serrat, 2022. "Disclosure of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Information by Spanish Companies: A Compliance Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    20. Cornett, Marcia Millon & Erhemjamts, Otgontsetseg & Tehranian, Hassan, 2016. "Greed or good deeds: An examination of the relation between corporate social responsibility and the financial performance of U.S. commercial banks around the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 137-159.
    21. Piera Centobelli & Roberto Cerchione & Davide Chiaroni & Pasquale Del Vecchio & Andrea Urbinati, 2020. "Designing business models in circular economy: A systematic literature review and research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 1734-1749, May.
    22. Azmi, Wajahat & Hassan, M. Kabir & Houston, Reza & Karim, Mohammad Sydul, 2021. "ESG activities and banking performance: International evidence from emerging economies," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    23. Harkin, S.M. & Mare, D.S. & Crook, J.N., 2020. "Independence in bank governance structure: Empirical evidence of effects on bank risk and performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    24. Juana M. Rivera & Maria J. Muñoz & Jose M. Moneva, 2017. "Revisiting the Relationship Between Corporate Stakeholder Commitment and Social and Financial Performance," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(6), pages 482-494, November.
    25. Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous Chowdhury & Md. Mahmudul Haque & Mansur Masih, 2017. "Re-Examining the Determinants of Islamic Bank Performance: New Evidence from Dynamic GMM, Quantile Regression, and Wavelet Coherence Approaches," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(7), pages 1519-1534, July.
    26. Hong Yuh Ching & Fábio Gerab & Thiago Henrique Toste, 2017. "The Quality of Sustainability Reports and Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence From Brazilian Listed Companies," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(2), pages 21582440177, June.
    27. Gallego-Álvarez, Prof. Isabel & Ortas, Prof. Eduardo, 2017. "Corporate environmental sustainability reporting in the context of national cultures: A quantile regression approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 337-353.
    28. Meng-Wen Wu & Chung-Hua Shen & Ting-Hsuan Chen, 2017. "Application of multi-level matching between financial performance and corporate social responsibility in the banking industry," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 29-63, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kepas Antoni Adrianus Manurung & Hermanto Siregar & Idqan Fahmi & Dedi Budiman Hakim, 2024. "Sustainable Value Chain for Sustainable Lending of State-Owned Banks in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-21, June.
    2. Piotr M. Bolibok, 2024. "Does Firm Size Matter for ESG Risk? Cross-Sectional Evidence from the Banking Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-26, January.
    3. Alina Matuszak-Flejszman & Sebastian Łukaszewski & Joanna Katarzyna Banach, 2024. "ESG Reporting of Commercial Banks in Poland in the Aspect of the New Requirements of the Directive on Corporate Reporting in the Field of Sustainable Development (CSRD)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-32, October.
    4. Massimo Arnone & Angelo Leogrande, 2024. "The Sustainability Of The Factoring Chain In Europe In The Light Of The Integration Of Esg Factors," Working Papers hal-04629337, HAL.
    5. Lingfu Kong & Minhas Akbar & Petra Poulova, 2023. "The Role of Environment, Social, and Governance Performance in Shaping Corporate Current and Future Value: The Case of Global Tech Leaders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-14, August.
    6. Herenia Gutiérrez-Ponce & Sigit Arie Wibowo, 2023. "Sustainability Reports and Disclosure of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Evidence from Indonesian Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-18, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria Celia López-Penabad & Ana Iglesias-Casal & José Fernando Silva Neto & José Manuel Maside-Sanfiz, 2023. "Does corporate social performance improve bank efficiency? Evidence from European banks," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1399-1437, May.
    2. Halit Gonenc & Bert Scholtens, 2019. "Responsibility and Performance Relationship in the Banking Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-49, June.
    3. Amir Gholami & John Sands & Habib Ur Rahman, 2022. "Environmental, Social and Governance Disclosure and Value Generation: Is the Financial Industry Different?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Mario La Torre & Sabrina Leo & Ida Claudia Panetta, 2021. "Banks and environmental, social and governance drivers: Follow the market or the authorities?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1620-1634, November.
    5. Saif-Alyousfi, Abdulazeez Y.H. & Saha, Asish & Alshammari, Turki Rashed, 2023. "Bank diversification and ESG activities: A global perspective," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(3).
    6. Juan J. Nájera-Sánchez, 2019. "A Systematic Review of Sustainable Banking through a Co-Word Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, December.
    7. Francesco Gangi & Antonio Meles & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Sustainable development and corporate governance in the financial system: Are environmentally friendly banks less risky?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 529-547, May.
    8. Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Tarazi, Amine, 2024. "ESG activity and bank lending during financial crises," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    9. Fiordelisi, Franco & Ricci, Ornella & Santilli, Gianluca, 2023. "Environmental engagement and stock price crash risk: Evidence from the European banking industry," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Kung, Ming-Hsin & Chang, Chuang-Chang & Hsiao, Yu-Jen & Lo, Wen-Chi & Chang, Bi-Juan, 2024. "Banks can help? Evidence in the speed of lending for COVID-19 personal relief loans and financial inclusion," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    11. Nobahar , Emad & Dehghan Nayeri , Mahmoud & Azar , Adel, 2019. "Sustainability of Iranian Banks: Role of Financial and Non-Financial Determinants," Journal of Money and Economy, Monetary and Banking Research Institute, Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, vol. 14(4), pages 495-524, October.
    12. Kuldeep Singh & Madhvendra Misra & Jitendra Yadav, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility and financial inclusion: Evaluating the moderating effect of income," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(5), pages 1263-1274, July.
    13. Moufty, Souad & Clark, Ephraim & Al-Najjar, Basil, 2021. "The different dimensions of sustainability and bank performance: Evidence from the EU and the USA," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    14. Massimiliano Cerciello & Francesco Busato & Simone Taddeo, 2023. "The effect of sustainable business practices on profitability. Accounting for strategic disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 802-819, March.
    15. Conte, Danilo & Bussoli, Candida & Hemmings, Danial, 2024. "Responsible risk-taking and the CSP-financial performance relation in the banking sector: A mediation analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    16. Galletta, Simona & Mazzù, Sebastiano & Naciti, Valeria, 2022. "A bibliometric analysis of ESG performance in the banking industry: From the current status to future directions," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    17. Mandas, Marco & Lahmar, Oumaima & Piras, Luca & De Lisa, Riccardo, 2024. "ESG reputational risk and market valuation: Evidence from the European banking industry," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    18. Maura Campra & Paolo Esposito & Rosa Lombardi, 2020. "The engagement of stakeholders in nonfinancial reporting: New information‐pressure, stimuli, inertia, under short‐termism in the banking industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1436-1444, May.
    19. Saeed Nosratabadi & Gergo Pinter & Amir Mosavi & Sandor Semperger, 2020. "Sustainable Banking; Evaluation of the European Business Models," Papers 2003.13423, arXiv.org.
    20. Simona Galletta & Sebastiano Mazzù & Valeria Naciti, 2021. "Banks' business strategy and environmental effectiveness: The monitoring role of the board of directors and the managerial incentives," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2656-2670, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6892-:d:1127586. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.