Suchergebnisse

The European Green Deal has re-ignited the imperative of green finance that is called to support the European Union transition to a greener economy. Green finance becomes even more opportune in the context of the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the paper is to explore green banking practices in the Romanian banking system. The investigation reveals the efforts of banks to be environmentally friendly and to be involved in financing of some green projects, such as the energy efficient projects. Nevertheless, the green banking products are still in the emerging stage and banks in Romania should develop their role in the field, by diversifying the range of green products and services, improving the expertise to assess green projects or intensifying the marketing initiatives to promote green products. In order to encourage banks in Romania to provide green financing several incentives should be conceived; similar to banks, the borrowers seeking green projects should be rewarded. Some mandatory requirements for banks to be involved in green investments may promote green banking in Romania. An essential condition to achieve the development of green banking in Romania is to increase awareness towards environmentally friendly behaviour at all levels.

AbstractThe objective of the current study was to design and test a conceptual framework for examining the drivers of customer intentions to use sustainable banking practices and services. This research applied the theory of planned behaviour, adding environmental knowledge (ENK) as a construct in addition to its fundamental variables. The primary data was acquired using a field survey method from a cross‐sectional sample of 207 Indian bank customers. Covariance‐based structural equation modelling technique was employed to test the study model. The findings demonstrated that one's attitude towards sustainable banking services is significantly influenced by one's ENK. No evidence of a significant mediation function for attitude towards sustainable banking services was found, which would have provided empirical support for the indirect relationship between ENK and purchase intentions. The findings also confirmed that purchasing intentions had a significant impact on actual behaviour. In particular, female bank customers showed higher levels of effects of consumer perceived efficacy and control over availability on buy intentions. The findings imply that bank managers should employ a sensible combination of old and modern communication channels to emphasize the value of a pollution‐free environment to the public.

The Code of Banking Practice (hereafter the "code"), which in its current format applies from 1 January 2012, arguably forms one of the most important influences on the modern bank and customer relationship in South Africa. The influence of the code on banking law might, however, be slightly more subtle than that of legislation such as the National Credit Act (34 of 2005 - only if applicable in terms of s 4) and the Consumer Protection Act (68 of 2008 - only if applicable in terms of s 5). This note focuses on the nature and legal status of the code itself, highlights some interesting provisions contained in the code, and considers the influence of decisions and other documents emanating from the office of the Ombudsman for Banking Services (hereafter the "ombudsman"). (A comprehensive discussion of the ombudsman, and of the findings and decisions that can be made, falls outside the scope of this note - see the information and documents at www.obssa.co.za (28-04-2014), including the Terms of Reference (2006) of the ombudsman (hereafter "Terms of Reference"). On the origins and meaning of the word "ombudsman", see Melville "Has ombudsmania reached South Africa? The burgeoning role of ombudsmen in commercial dispute resolution" 2010 SA Merc LJ 50 and Schulze "The South African Banking Adjudicator - a brief overview" 2000 SA Merc LJ 38-39. For the first Banking Code in the United Kingdom, dating from 1992, and its subsequent development, see the rather critical appraisal by Ellinger, Lomnicka and Hare Ellinger's Modern Banking Law (2011) 65 ff. The office of the South African ombudsman was set up in 1997: see "History of the OBS" at www.obssa.co.za and Schulze 38.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to document how a central bank can perform its primary and secondary functions in a Sharīʿah-compliant manner. It also seeks to investigate the outcomes of the experiments of Muslim-majority countries in this regard. Design/methodology/approach As a first step, a detailed review of existing literature is conducted, which discusses the views of scholars and practitioners on the central banking mechanism in a fully Sharīʿah-compliant financial system. Moving further, the case studies of Iran, Sudan and Pakistan are presented to highlight experiences of regulators from three Muslim-majority countries, which aimed to achieve full compliance with Sharīʿah (Islamic law) principles related to Islamic finance. To evaluate their models, an assessment of their practices is performed in the light of Sharīʿah rules and principles based on existing literature. Finally, the issues involved in establishing a Sharīʿah-compliant central bank (SCCB) are discussed and improvements are suggested. Findings It is found that Iran played an effective role in pursuing broader objectives of monetary policy by setting priorities for credit allocation and assisting the government in reducing expenses; however, with respect to instruments, its experience is limited to the rebranding of conventional products. Sudan has not only used monetary policy to effectively curb inflation but also it has introduced various indirect instruments to perform monetary operations. Pakistan succeeded in formulating a theoretical roadmap to establish a SCCB but the desired objectives could not be achieved because of multiple factors. Practical implications This study has important policy implications for regulators and policymakers from Muslim countries, who can use the findings in shaping effective Sharīʿah-compliant central banking practices in their respective countries. Originality/value This study discusses the salient features of an important Islamic financial institution, the central bank and evaluates the experiments of three Muslim-majority countries in implementing Sharīʿah-compliant central banking practices. To the best of the knowledge, this evaluation has not been performed in the existing literature and the present study fills in this gap.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate sustainability practices in the banking industry, focusing on a developing economy. It uses the triple-bottom-line framework to answer the following research question: how do banks in Nigeria conceptualise sustainability, and what role does it play in their banking practices?Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a social constructivist approach in its exploration of banking sustainability practices in an emerging economy, and the research design is a purpose-based (exploratory) approach. The qualitative data was collected from 33 bank personnel from various bank units and departments through semi-structured interviews to achieve the research objective.FindingsThe study reveals a lack of sustainability policies and programmes, as banks focus mainly on profitability. It uncovers unfair treatments of bank workers through casualisation, low wages and work overload. It indicates that most banks in developing countries ignore environmental considerations, as they still carry out paper-based transactions and use diesel-powered generators, which cause various negative environmental impacts. It also confirms that governments and banks in the country are not doing enough to propagate sustainable practices and banks have also not taken advantage of the sustainability concept to promote their brands; instead, they consider it as requiring additional operational costs.Practical implicationsThe findings demonstrate the need for banks to see sustainability from a marketing point of view and adopt sustainable practices to create additional value that will improve their brand image and enhance their competitiveness.Originality/valueThe importance of sustainability in the banking industry in emerging economies is considered a viable means of contributing to the overall development goals of the United Nations as the world tries to preserve the environment. It also highlights the consequences of inaction or unsustainable banking practices.