Financing structure and insolvency risk exposure of Islamic banks

This study analyzes the impact of financing structure on Islamic banks’ insolvency risk exposure. By analyzing four models, we find that an increase in real estate financing decreases insolvency risk; however, an increasing concentration of financing structure increases insolvency risk. We discover that increasing the stability of the financing structure reduces risk in the short term, but not in the medium term. Interestingly, our findings show that the level of insolvency risk exposure during the 1997 Asian financial crisis was lower than it was for the overall period, whereas it is higher than the overall average in the ongoing global economic crisis. Thus, regulatory bodies, policymakers, and market players in the Islamic banking industry should take appropriate action to in manage the insolvency risk of Islamic banks. Copyright Swiss Society for Financial Market Research 2010