nep-isf New Economics Papers
on Islamic Finance
Issue of 2025–05–05
two papers chosen by
Ali Polat, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi


  1. Impact of policy rate fluctuations on investment accounts volume in Moroccan participative banks By Mezine Anass; Pr Yaacoubi Abdelhak
  2. Assessing Gender Disparities in Formal Financial Services Utilization in Afghanistan: Evidence from the Global Findex Database By Khanullah Mohammady; Sudha Vepa

  1. By: Mezine Anass (FSJES AIN SEBAA, Hassan II University –Casablanca); Pr Yaacoubi Abdelhak (FSJES AIN SEBAA, Hassan II University –Casablanca)
    Abstract: Deposit interest rates are recognized as one of the determining factors for the volume of savings in the economy. Although, there are cases with contradictory results, it is widely accepted that the rate of remuneration on deposits has a positive relationship with their volume. In other words, bank depositors are typically motivated by maximizing their profits. Even though, the business model of participative banks excludes interest rate, several studies have confirmed that these institutions experience fund outflows in response to market credit interest rate fluctuations. In this paper, we examine the interaction links between the investment deposits' volume in participative banks, the volume of term deposits in conventional banks, and the interest rate's policy. Our study employs a time-series analysis of monthly banks data from January 2020 to June 2024. The methodology adopted is based on an approach ranging from verifiying the statistical properties of the series of variables studied, to analysis of the existence of cointegration and causal relationships between the variables. To achieve this, the Johansen cointegration test, the Granger causality test, and impulse response function (IRF) analysis were used within a vector error correction model (VECM) framework. The results obtained reveal the opportunistic behavior of investment account holders in participative banks who immediately transfer their funds to higher-yielding conventional term deposits following a variation in market rates. Under commercial pressure, the participative banks are compelled to gradually adjust their investment deposits remuneration rates to maintain their attractiveness. Our findings also illustrate the existence of structural interactions between the conventional and participative banking systems, where the strategic decisions of one segment gradually influence the other. Our study confirms the exposure of participative banks to rate of return risks, particularly those related to depositor behavior. However, these institutions struggle with a shortage of risk management instruments. Consequently, they are obliged to develop innovative risk management strategies tailored to their specific characteristics. The recommendations provided in this paper focus notably on developing hedging instruments that comply with participative finance principles, the implementation of a reserve policy based on profit equalization reserves (PER) and investment risk reserves (IRR), and the improvement of internal risk management approaches to better anticipate and manage periods of vulnerability.
    Abstract: Les taux créditeurs sont reconnus comme l'un des facteurs déterminants du volume de l'épargne dans l'économie. Malgré qu'il existe des cas de résultats contradictoires, il est généralement admis que le taux de rémunération des dépôts a une relation positive avec le volume de ces derniers. En d'autres termes, les déposants des banques sont généralement motivés par la maximisation de leurs profits. Bien que le mode de fonctionnement des banques participatives est excepte du taux d'intérêt, plusieurs études réalisées ont démontré que ces établissements font face à une fuite de fonds lors d'une fluctuation des taux créditeurs du marché. Dans cet article, nous examinons les liens d'interaction qui existent entre le volume des dépôts d'investissement des banques participatives, le volume des dépôts à terme des banques conventionnelles et le taux directeur. Notre étude utilise une analyse de séries temporelles des données mensuelles des banques de la place de la période allant de Janvier 2020 à Juin 2024. La méthodologie adoptée repose sur une démarche allant de la vérification des propriétés statistiques des séries des variables étudiées, à l'analyse de l'existence des relations de cointégration et de cause à effet entre les variables. Afin d'y parvenir le test de cointégration de Johansen, le test de causalité de Granger et l'analyse de réponse impulsionnelle (IRF) ont été utilisés dans le cadre d'un modèle vectoriel à correction d'erreur (VECM). Les résultats obtenus révèlent le comportement opportuniste des titulaires des comptes d'investissement des banques participatives qui, suite à une variation des taux du marché, procèdent à un transfert immédiat de leurs fonds vers des dépôts à terme conventionnels plus rémunérés. Sous pression commerciale, les banques participatives se voient incitées à ajuster progressivement leurs taux de rémunération des dépôts d'investissement afin de préserver leur attractivité. Nos résultats illustrent également l'existence des interactions structurelles entre le système bancaire conventionnel et celui participatif, dont les décisions stratégiques de l'un des segments influencent progressivement l'autre. Notre étude affirme l'exposition des banques participatives au risque de taux de rendement liés notamment au comportement de leurs déposants. Cependant, ces établissements souffrent d'une pénurie des instruments de gestion de ce risque. Elles se voient obligées à développer des stratégies de gestion des risques innovantes et adaptées à leurs particularités. Les recommandations apportées dans cet article portent notamment sur le développement d'instruments de couverture conformes aux principes de la finance participative, la mise en place d'une politique de réserves basée sur les réserves de lissage des profits (PER) et des réserves pour risques d'investissement (IRR), ainsi que l'amélioration des approches internes de gestion des risques pour mieux anticiper et gérer les périodes de vulnérabilité.
    Keywords: Participative banks, Rate of return risk, Granger causality, Cointegration, Winsorizing, VECM, Banques participatives, Risque de taux de rendement, Causalité Granger, Cointégration, Winsorisation
    Date: 2025–03–25
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05005487
  2. By: Khanullah Mohammady (Osmania University); Sudha Vepa (Osmania University)
    Abstract: Aim: Financial inclusion refers to the availability and use of financial services to individuals and businesses at an affordable cost, without discrimination to any group. This study examines gender disparity in the utilization of formal financial services in Afghanistan, a country where financial exclusion remains a critical issue. Design/methodology/approach: This study is quantitative in nature, using data from the Global Findex data (2011-2021) from the World Bank. The study employs a descriptive summary to provide an overview of the data. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post-hoc test are then applied to test the hypothesis considered under this study. Additionally, the study presents key barriers to financial inclusion in Afghanistan using Global Findex 2021 data, analyzed descriptively through graphical representation. Research Findings: The findings reveal significant disparities in account ownership, debit card usage, digital payment adoption, and savings, with males consistently demonstrating higher usage across these services. No disparity was observed for borrowings and mobile money, and low usage levels were exhibited for both men and women. Additionally, barriers to financial inclusion in Afghanistan, such as insufficient funds, distance, trust, documentation and cost, limit access to formal financial services. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: Despite the importance of financial inclusion and gender disparity, Afghanistan remains largely understudied. While numerous studies have examined gender gaps in financial access using the Global Findex database across various countries, research specific to Afghanistan is scarce. This study fills this gap by providing empirical evidence of gender disparities and highlights the need for targeted interventions.
    Keywords: Gender gap, Financial inclusion (FI), Barriers to financial inclusion, Afghanistan
    Date: 2025–03–13
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04990019

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