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The present study aims to investigate the effect of environmental reporting on the financial performance of banks in India.

The study is based on the secondary data. The sample includes the banks listed in the NSE Nifty Bank Index from 2016–2017 to 2020–2021. The environmental reporting data was obtained through the content analysis technique. The financial data was collected from the CMIE Prowess database. Panel regression analysis was used to analyse the data.

The findings indicate a negative significant influence of environmental reporting on the ROA and ROE of banks. On the other hand, environmental reporting does not significantly influence the EPS of banking institutions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to contribute to the scarce literature on the influence of environmental reporting on financial performance, pertinently in the context of a developing nation's banking sector.

The primary purpose is to empower financial institutions in AI integration decisions. By combining QSFS and the Golden Cut technique, the study establishes a robust foundation for assessing AI progress effects, aligning implementation with performance goals, and promoting technical innovation. Dimensions explored include AI-related workforce competency, technological adaption, and ethical AI practices, crucial components within the BSC framework for technological innovation.

This study employs a distinctive approach, integrating the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) framework with Quantum Spherical Fuzzy Sets (QSFS) and the Golden Cut approach to explore the dynamic landscape of AI deployment. The integration addresses uncertainties, enhancing impact assessment accuracy amid ambiguity associated with AI outcomes. QSFS and the Golden Cut technique together facilitate precise identification of thresholds and crucial values.

The research delves into the intricate relationship between enduring financial stability and AI progress, recognizing technology's crucial influence on financial decision-making. Findings underscore technology's significant impact on financial institutions' AI integration decisions. This novel approach provides a strong quantitative basis, offering insights into workforce competency, technological adaption, and ethical AI practices.

Despite valuable contributions, the study acknowledges limitations, such as potential biases and generalizability concerns, emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation and suggesting future research directions. Recognizing the research's boundaries and complexities in studying AI deployment in financial institutions underscores the need for ongoing exploration.

The research's originality lies in presenting an innovative methodology, integrating BSC, QSFS, and the Golden Cut, providing a unique perspective for decision-making. Contributions extend beyond academia, offering practical insights to enhance AI strategic implementation in the financial industry. This novel approach enriches the technology and finance discourse, fostering theoretical and practical advancements.

This paper employs data from the World Bank to examine the effect of traditional banks on FinTech and financial development in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The study employs the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) as the primary data analysis method.

The findings of the study demonstrate a bi-directional relationship between traditional financial institutions and FinTech. Traditional financial institutions are observed to facilitate the adoption of FinTech solutions, whilst the disruptive effects of FinTech incentivize traditional banks to adapt to the changing financial landscape and tailor their service and product offerings to reflect recent technological advancements. Consequently, there exists a positive relationship between traditional financial institutions and financial development in the SADC region.

Our findings suggest the need for market liberalization and enhanced institutional quality controls for policymakers. Traditional banks must adapt their business models and incorporate FinTech solutions to remain competitive and relevant. Collaborative partnerships between traditional banks and FinTech firms have emerged as a practical approach to leverage the strengths of both sectors.

This is one of the first studies to examine the role of traditional financial institutions in FinTech and financial development using GMM in the SADC region.

This paper examine whether social performance moderates the linkage between financial risk and financial performance in microfinance institutions (MFIs). The study focuses on the financial self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability of MFIs.

The empirical study uses unbalanced panel data of 2,694 worldwide MFIs from 2009 to 2019. In the first step, the study inspects the impact of social performance and risk on financial performance, proxied as return on assets and operational self-sufficiency. In the second stage, moderated hierarchical regression is applied to test whether social performance moderates the relationship between risk and financial performance. Lastly, the study confirms the significant moderation effects with slope tests.

The study detects robust evidence that financial risk is negatively related to financial performance. Though social performance exhibits a weak positive link with financial performance in silos, the evidence of its moderating effects on risk is mixed and significant. Social performance indicators, such as the borrower retention rate and female representation, positively moderate the relationship between financial risk and financial performance. The study documents that social performance impacts financial performance and operational self-sufficiency through risk moderation. Thus, social performance fosters the sustainability of these institutions over the long haul.

The study is relevant to academics and theorists to consider the stakeholder approach in microfinancing. In the context of stakeholder theory, the study advances the specific social responsiveness process, namely stakeholder engagement.

The evidence that socially sensitive operations can curtail the adverse effects of credit risks on financial performance signify the required attention to social performance. For MFI managers and practitioners, the findings justify the business case for social performance. Stakeholder engagement, under the auspices of social responsiveness, acts as a risk-mitigation mechanism to eventually foster financial performance and self-sufficiency.

The study motivates MFIs to do more for their stakeholders and society by highlighting the benefits of social performance.

The study reaffirms that social performance remains at the epicenter of the MFIs' mission and is an essential risk mitigation mechanism. The study adds to the extant literature on stakeholder engagement and its effects on MFIs.

The main purpose of this paper is to establish whether trust plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises in under-developed financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The main focus of this paper is to specifically test whether relational social capital built by young women from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups can be more effective in promoting economic exchange in under-developed financial markets since interpersonal trust has recently been found to harbor group collusion, especially among kins. Overall, the paper distinguishes trust among individuals based on their age, gender and ethnic diversity.

This study used structural equation model to test whether trust significantly mediates the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises using Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS) based on recommendations by Hair et al. (2022) and Baron and Kenny (1986).

The findings from this study revealed that trust significantly and positively mediate the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises in under-developed financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Trust developed from relational social capital among young women from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups create a stronger basis for economic exchange in under-developed financial markets.

While this study generates a positive evidence on the impact of access to microcredit on survival of young women microenterprises, the results cannot be over emphasized and generalized because the data were collected from only a single developing country. Future research may extend the current study to include other developing countries to make a more justified comprehensive analysis.

The findings from this study highlights the importance of using a blend of social policy guided by norms combined with formal regulations as an informal contract enforcement mechanism to achieve efficient economic exchange in under-developed financial markets. Relational social capital formed on the basis of informal norms among groups from diverse population can supplement formal laws to enforce contractual obligations in microcredit access, especially among youthful microentrepreneurs, who seems to have stronger relational behaviors than adults. Financial institutions such as banks should use informal contract enforcement system to increase the scope of financial inclusion of young microentrepreneurs, especially in unbanked rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive where formal laws are weak and sometimes not functional. The findings also show that younger people have a stronger relationship behavior than adults. Therefore, policy should create structures that can promote social activities among youth. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive through their respective Ministry of Gender, Labour and Youth Affairs should create youth clubs that can increase interaction and relational social capital among the younger population to derive economic empowerment. sub-Saharan African governments, Uganda inclusive should rely more on social policy based on relational social capital as a missing link to promote and achieve economic development.

This paper provides an evidence on the unique role of age, gender and ethnicity in information sharing and exchange based on social policy in the financial market to limit group collusion. The authors indicate that diversity in relational social capital among young women microentrepreneurs prohibit strategic defaults, which promotes access to microcredit for survival of women micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through socialization. High level of interaction among younger women microentrepreneurs from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups allow them to close the information gap to timely meet borrowing contractual obligations to derive economic benefits. The paper shows that younger women have more trust than older women while searching for economic value through socialization. In fact, social policy can wholly supplement formal policy to promote growth and survival of young women microenterprises, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive.

The purpose of this study is to analyse cyberfraud in the South African banking industry using a multiple regression approach and develop a predictive model for the estimation and prediction of financial losses due to cyberfraud.

To mitigate the occurrence of cyberfraud, this study uses the multiple regression approach to correlate the relationship between financial loss and cyberfraud activities. The cyberfraud activities in South Africa are classified into three, namely, digital banking application, online and mobile banking fraud. Secondary data that captures the rate of cyberfraud occurrences within these three major categories with their resulting financial losses were used for the multiple regression analysis that was carried out in the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, 2022 environment).

The results obtained indicate that the South African financial institutions still incur significant financial losses due to cyberfraud perpetration. The two main independent variables used to estimate the magnitude of financial loss in the South Africa’s banking industry are online (internet) banking fraud (X2) and mobile banking fraud (X3). Furthermore, a multiple regression model equation was developed for the prediction of financial loss as a function of the two independent variables (X2 and X3).

This study adds to the literature on cyberfraud mitigation. The findings may promote the combat against cyberfraud in the South Africa’s financial institutions. It may also assist South Africa’s financial institutions to predict the financial loss that financial institutions can incur over time. It is recommended that South Africa’s financial institutions pay attention to these two key variables and mitigate any associated risks as they are crucial in determining their profitability.

Existing literature indicated significant financial losses to cyberfraud perpetration without establishing any relationship between the magnitude of losses incurred and the prevalent forms of cyberfraud. Thus, the novelty of this study lies in the analysis of cyberfraud in the South African banking industry using a multiple regression approach to link financial losses to the perpetration of the prevalent forms of cyberfraud. It also develops a predictive model for the estimation and projection of financial losses.

Currently, consumers of financial products and services have become more vulnerable to predatory financial institutions, especially in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, financial consumers like the persons with disabilities (PWDs) should be equipped with knowledge and skills to help them to evaluate complex financial products on offer in financial markets, especially in developing countries to avoid being victims of fraudulent lending. The purpose of this study is to establish whether customized financial literacy mediates the relationship between financial consumer protection and financial inclusion of PWDs’ owned MSMEs in rural Uganda post Covid-19 pandemic.

SmartPLS 4.0 was used to construct the measurement and structural equation models to test whether customized financial literacy significantly mediates the relationship between financial consumer protection and financial inclusion of PWDs’ owned MSMEs in rural Uganda post Covid-19 pandemic.

The results revealed a partial mediating effect of customized financial literacy in the relationship between financial consumer protection and financial inclusion of PWDs’ owned MSMEs in rural Uganda post Covid-19 pandemic. Conducting customized financial literacy increases financial consumer protection by 12 percentage points to promote financial inclusion of PWDs’ owned MSMEs in rural Uganda post Covid-19 pandemic.

This study focused only on customized financial literacy and financial consumer protection to promote universal financial inclusion of PWDs’ owned MSMEs post Covid-19 pandemic. Future studies may use data collected from other vulnerable groups amongst the unbanked population in developing countries, Uganda inclusive. In addition, this study also collected only quantitative data from the selected population. Further studies can be conducted using key informant interviews and focused group discussion to get the perceptions of the PWDs on being protected from exploitation by unscrupulous financial institutions.

The findings from this study can help policymakers in developing countries like Uganda to revise the existing consumer protection law to include strong clauses on protection of people with special needs like the PWDs. The law must ensure that they are not exploited by financial institutions because of their conditions. The law ought to make sure that the PWDs are educated about their rights in the financial market place and all information on financial products offered by financial institutions should be simplified and interpreted to them before they make consumption decisions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is amongst the first few studies to provide a meticulous and unique discourse on the ever increasing role of financial literacy combined with consumer protection to reduce consumption risks within the financial markets, especially in developing countries in the aftermath of global pandemic shocks. This study uses the social learning theory, theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behaviour to elucidate how customized financial literacy can enhance consumer protection to increase financial inclusion of groups with special needs like the PWDs who have become more susceptible to exploitation by unscrupulous financial institutions in under-developed financial markets, especially in post Covid-19 pandemic.

This study aims to examine the potential for waqf innovation to be developed as products and services by Islamic financial institutions, identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of cash waqf governance in Indonesia, Türkiye and Malaysia, and to explore how pandemics have influenced the role of cash waqf practices in the three countries.

This study adopts a qualitative approach with an interpretative perspective, drawing on ecology theory and Ibn Khaldun’s thought. The research method includes conducting literature reviews and interviews to explore the concept and significance of cash waqf, the offerings of Islamic financial institutions and the mechanisms for good governance of cash waqf to bolster the proposed model.

The finding shows that a model of cash waqf governance that outlines the relationships and interactions with the goal of advancing cash waqf. The use of technology, specifically computer technology, further strengthens these interactions.

This study suffers from several limitations, such as the number of countries in the sampling. Thus, future research opportunities include exploring similar initiatives in other countries and examining the connections between different sub-fields within the global cash waqf practice.

The contribution of this study serves as a guide for cash waqf organizations to promote professional, responsible and accountable management practices; reduce the risks faced by waqf managers and support them in making improvements to enhance the role of waqf in Indonesia and elsewhere; as well as provide a reference for the government and waqf agencies in promoting the importance of cash waqf governance in the country.

This paper aims to assess the short- and long-run effects of the interaction between institutional quality and financial development (FD) on the competitiveness of the WAEMU economy over the period 2007–2018.

The methodology consisted of cross-referencing a synthetic indicator of FD with indicators of institutional quality and then estimating an auto regressive distributed lag model.

The results of the pooled mean group and dynamic fixed effect estimation show a positive and significant impact of this interaction on the competitiveness of the economy in the long run. In the short run, the results are quite similar to those in the long run for the direct effects but different for the crosses. Also, the analysis of country specificity shows that the results are similar to those in the short run since the interaction between FD and institutional quality (political stability and government effectiveness) negatively affects the competitiveness of Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali, and positively affects the competitiveness of Benin and Senegal.

These results suggest the need for effective policies to improve the quality of institutions to enhance the mobilization of financial resources through FD to ensure the competitiveness of economies. Improving the quality of the political and institutional environment is a prerequisite for economic competitiveness.

The paper is in line with the New Institutional Economics that developed in the 1970s. This referential framework is a heterogeneous body of work that encompasses works whose common point is the determination of the role of institutions in economic coordination. Unlike previous studies, which have focused on the contribution of the interaction between institutional quality variables and FD on economic growth, this paper analyzes the effects of this interaction on economic competitiveness. It, therefore, constitutes a contribution to this literature and aims primarily to fill this gap.

Financial instability and economic crises are closely intertwined. There is no universally accepted definition. The term ‘stability’ or ‘instability’ refers to the behaviour of the system rather than to individual institutions. However, one cannot rule out that failure of a single financial institution can trigger significant financial turmoil as was happened in 2007–08 global financial crises. Like unstable equilibrium, instability implies inability to correct itself on its own. Instability, if it persists, turns into a crisis. In the above backdrop, the objective of this chapter is to investigate the financial crises and instability viewed both from economic and international political economy perspectives with a tale of four generation crisis models as it has been evolved over time to explain the phenomenon of different types of crises.