Impact of economic, environmental, and corporate social responsibility reporting on financial performance of UAE banks

Abstract

This study investigates the degree of sustainability disclosure of listed banks in the UAE financial markets and analyzes the effect of sustainability disclosure on banking performance. Sustainability disclosure is examined by considering three dimensions–economic, environmental, and corporate social responsibility–and using content analysis. Dynamic panel regression was used to study the impact of sustainability disclosure on banking performance by differentiating between conventional and Islamic banks. The empirical results show that banks’ levels of sustainability disclosure are low. Moreover, dynamic panel data reveal that sustainability disclosure has a positive and significant impact on bank performance. The results of this study assist the Central Bank of the UAE in developing a corporate sustainability disclosure framework to improve bank transparency, reduce information asymmetry, and improve compliance with sustainability standards.