THE INFLUENCE OF ESG FACTORS ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN THE BANKING SECTOR DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Environmental performance, social responsibility, and corporate governance quality are aspects of ESG performance. This study examines the influence of ESG performance on the financial performance of 333 banks located in 53 countries in Europe, America, and Asia, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic (2019-2021). Our model design allows us to establish causality relationships. The main factors and financial data are collected from the Refinitiv database. The findings indicate that the bank environmental performance in 2019 has a negative influence on the return on equity during 2020, and that no other ESG factors are significant. Social responsibility expenditures and initiatives in 2020 positively influenced bank profitability in 2021. Furthermore, East Asian banks have higher stock market returns and earnings per share determined by the quality of corporate governance in the previous year. The environmental performance of 2020 has a negative influence on earnings per share in 2021, but only for the sample in East Asia. Implications for the banking sector and investors are proposed.