Humaira Begum

Purpose/Objectives: This study investigates the impact of macroeconomic variables on Non-Performing Loan Ratios (NPLR) in the banking sectors of eight South Asian countries over the period 2013 to 2022. Methodology/Approach: Utilizing panel data and applying the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) regression technique to address heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation, the analysis focuses on key macroeconomic indicators including GDP growth, unemployment, inflation, interest rate spread, consumer price index (CPI), exports, foreign direct investment (FDI), and liquidity ratio. Results/Findings: The findings reveal that GDP growth has a statistically significant negative impact on NPLR at 1% significance level, indicating that stronger economic performance contributes to improved loan quality. Inflation also shows a marginally significant negative association, suggesting that controlled inflation may support credit stability. Interestingly, unemployment demonstrates a negative impact on NPLR at 1% significance level, a counterintuitive result that highlights complex interactions within regional labor markets. At 1% level FDI significantly reduces NPLR, emphasizing its role in strengthening financial sector stability. Other variables such as interest rate spread, CPI, and liquidity ratio display mixed or insignificant impacts. Novelty/Originality: The study contributes to the understanding of macro-financial linkages in emerging economies and offers evidence-based policy guidance for managing credit risk across South Asia. Implications: The study recommends that South Asian policymakers should focus on inclusive economic growth, control inflation to optimal levels, and strengthen frameworks that attract and retain productive foreign investment to minimize credit risk. Furthermore, this study's findings also recommend reforms in labor market structure and improvements in credit risk assessment mechanisms to ensure long-term resilience of the banking sector.

The growing emphasis on green finance (GF) presents significant attention for banks as they navigate environmental and social risk management (ESRM) while striving for financial performance. Emerging the global phenomenon with respect to environmental issues focuses on highlighting the study of GF with ESRM, which leads to the profitability and non-performing loans of banks. This study investigates the impacts of GF on ESRM and, in turn, impacts the performance-profitability and non-performing loans of banks, providing empirical evidence from Bangladesh. This study employs the numerical data collected from annual reports of the central bank- Bangladesh Bank, from 2015 to 2023. The study has focused on variables such as GF sectors, environmental and social risk management, profitability, and non-performing loans. Regression models (Panel ordinary least square, quarantine regression, fixed effect model, random effect model, and panel generalized method of the moment) are employed to examine the effects of GF on ESRM and the impact of ESRM on performance - profitability and non-performing loans. The result shows that GF significantly influences ESRM because the p-value is 0.00≤p-value≤.0.10, rejecting the null hypothesis. ESRM has a significant impact on the performance of banks as a mediating factor with a p-value of 0.00≤p-value≤ 0.10. The findings of this study suggest that GF practices significantly enhance ESRM, which impacts the performance of banks and provides valuable insights for policymakers, regulators, and banking stakeholders in mitigating environmental and social risks and improving the performance of banks. JEL Classification Codes: C58, G21, Q53.

This research investigated the influence of central bank transparency on credit expansion in 15 Asian nations (both advanced and emerging) during the period from 2000 to 2019. Panel OLS and Dynamic GMM estimation are used to identify the impact of central bank transparency on the credit spread. The findings indicate that central bank transparency plays a crucial role in lowering credit spreads and facilitating credit expansion. In addition, the influence of central bank transparency on credit spreads has a greater effect in emerging economies than in developed economies, highlighting the significance of transparency for tackling information asymmetry within the credit system. Overall, the research highlights the significance of central bank independence in reducing knowledge disparities and promoting a more transparent credit environment.

This study ascertains the associations of the macroeconomic variables with external debts, the impacts of external debts on annual GDP, GDP growth, and per capita income, and the timing effects on the economic variables of Bangladesh. The analysis is inferential and eight hypotheses have been set and tested with the regression analysis. To complete the study, the chi-squared test and Durbin-Watson test have been used along with trends and growth analysis. The results of the study reveal that the budget deficit, current account deficit, and defense budget have a positive association with external debts. Furthermore, foreign direct investment, foreign exchange reserve, foreign remittance, and trade of balance have a negative association with external debts. The external debts have no negative impact on annual GDP, GDP growth, and per capita income. Finally, there is a significant timing effect on the economic variables of Bangladesh during the study period.

This study aims at examining the effect of liquidity management on the profitability of Bangladesh banks. To accomplish this objective, 32 banks of Bangladesh including second and third generation banks are taken as a sample. The secondary sources of data have been used for this study which are collected from the annual reports. Hausman specification test is run to identify the appropriate model which suggests that random effect model is suitable for this study. This study focuses on ROA, ROE and EPS as a denominator of profitability. Current ratio is found to have a positive impact on profitability of bank whereas capital adequacy ratio, interest rates are also found to be statistically significant for influencing the performance of the bank. Thus, this study suggests that proper management of liquidity will raise the profitability of the banks and the findings of this study will be helpful for the policy makers to solve the problems in respective field.