Issue #4 (Volume 18 2023)

Despite the increase in business performance research, only some studies have examined the combination of innovative work behavior, Leadership 4.0, and corporate social responsibility as performance factors in Nigeria’s banking industry in the current 4IR. This study aims to sustain performance in the banking industry of Nigeria. Four hundred (400) bank employees were randomly selected for this study from a sample of cooperating banks (Zenith Bank Plc, Guarantee Trust Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, and First Bank of Nigeria Plc) in the Nigerian states of Oyo and Lagos. One Hundred (100) participants were chosen from each bank. Additionally, the survey was given out to randomly chosen bank employees using structured questionnaires. Participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique; 386 of the 400 surveys were appropriate for analysis. To do the analysis, SPSS version 29 was used. According to the study’s findings, innovative work behavior had a 77% influence on performance variance within the banking industry in the current 4IR, Leadership 4.0 had an 88% influence, and corporate social responsibility had a 71% influence. Accordingly, the results show that more significant innovation in work behavior, adoption of Leadership 4.0, and involvement in CSR significantly predict the maintenance of performance in the Nigerian banking industry. Additionally, the findings indicate that adopting Leadership 4.0 predicts a more significant variance in performance in the banking business, followed by demonstrating innovative work behavior and involvement in corporate social responsibility.

Acknowledgment
The author thanks Professor Wilfred Ukpere and the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management (University of Johannesburg) for funding and publishing this study.

In the professional activity of a bank teller, the palette of emotional states is extremely large, but the dominant state is the state of emotional tension, which depends on the nature of the performed actions, professional experience and motivation of the employee. This study examines the consequences of occupational stress on employee motivation and job satisfaction across different organizational contexts. It focuses on the role conflict, supervisor support, work-family conflict, and job stress experienced by bank tellers in Cambodia. Data were collected from a sample of 649 tellers working in various Cambodian banks using the snowball sampling technique. The results show that role conflict and supervisor support have a significant impact on work-family conflict, which in turn affects the levels of workplace stress experienced by tellers. Role conflict is identified as the primary factor contributing to occupational stress. The study suggests that banks should address inter-role conflicts among tellers to reduce stress levels and promote a more efficient workplace atmosphere.

The introduction of integrated reporting aims to solve the drawbacks of corporate reporting practices and make companies accountable to their immediate environment, including other stakeholders affected by company operations in generating returns to investors. This study investigated whether there is a statistically significant relationship between integrated reporting and investor returns. Ex post facto research design was used. Ten (10) Deposit Money Banks were sampled using a purposive sampling technique. Data were extracted from the annual reports of the selected banks, and the unweighted method of content analysis was used to extract integrated reporting data with the checklist from the International Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRF, 2021). The integrated reporting disclosure index was used as a proxy for integrated reporting. Proxies used for investor returns are the price-earnings ratio, dividend per share, and market price per share. The results indicate that the integrated reporting disclosure index is positively related with the price-earnings ratio, dividend per share and market price per share, with coefficients of 56.3403, 1.5240 and 16.6122, respectively, for the three (3) models. This implies that an increase in practicing integrated reporting will increase market price per share, dividend per share and price-earnings ratio. Likewise, the integrated reporting disclosure index has a significant effect on dividend per share and price-earnings ratio with p-values 0.000 and 0.001, respectively. However, the disclosure index has an insignificant effect on market price per share, with a p-value 0.184. This study concluded there is a statistically significant relationship between integrated reporting and investor returns.

Acknowledgment
Contributions of people who add to the success of this research are hereby recognized. Thanks for your contributions.

Islamic banking must concentrate on customer service and loyalty to be competitive because the financial sector delivers almost identical goods and services. Mobile banking is one of the most recent advances in the financial sector and can be advantageous to bank customers and banking institutions. This study aims to explore the elements that affect Islamic bank customers’ propensity to adopt Islamic mobile banking services. Internet connection quality, bank reputation, and awareness are included as new factors to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theoretical framework used in this study to evaluate the relevant issue. The online survey was administered through a questionnaire, yielding 265 responses obtained from Islamic Mobile Banking users in Indonesia. The PLS-SEM method was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that perceived utility, internet connection quality, consumer awareness, and bank reputation had a substantial beneficial effect on customer inclinations to utilize Islamic vehicle banking services. However, perceived usability does not have a significant favorable effect. Understanding these characteristics would enable participants in the Islamic finance industry to design and plan relevant strategies to promote financial services to present and prospective users.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to acknowledge the Research and Innovation Institute (LRI), Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, for providing significant financial assistance in writing this research through the HIT funding scheme with number 01/A.6-II/FAI/1/2022.

The increase in online credit card transactions in the digital era has caused an increase in credit card cyber incidents. This is happening globally, including in Indonesia. Thus, it will affect a bank’s reputation as well as its financial losses. Therefore, optimal fraud risk management is needed in a banking effort to prevent credit card fraud. In response, this article intended to study credit card fraud prevention by examining the relationship between digital security required for customer data security; fraud brainstorming to identify process weaknesses; and compliance management to manage regulatory compliance. The next step was to test whether the anti-fraud specialist is competent to moderate this relationship. This study used a quantitative approach. This study included 27 Indonesian card issuers. Primary sources were used to collect data for this study. The primary data were analyzed using a structural equation model (SEM). The results of the study show that digital security, fraud brainstorming, and compliance management were positively and significantly related to the prevention of credit card fraud, at a significance level of 5%, the t-statistic has a numerical value of 6.161, 5.079, and 5.98 each. Furthermore, testing the moderating effect obtained t-statistic values of 7.330, 4.161, and 7.694. Competency results obtained with positive and significant influence moderate the relationship between these factors and credit card fraud prevention. These findings have policy implications for banking and government objectives in fighting credit card fraud through implementing prevention strategies.

Acknowledgments
This research was conducted as part of the process of study completion at the Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the respondents who participated in this research.

This study analyzes the factors driving the level of Islamic social reporting. Based on the literature review, it was revealed that the lack of consensus from the drivers of Islamic reporting disclosure in Islamic banks, especially in Indonesia, is different from disclosure in conventional banks where there is a lot of consensus. Empirical analysis uses panel data collection from 12 Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia from 2010 to 2022. To estimate the relationship between variables, EViews 12 is used. The control variables used in this study are profitability and size of Islamic banks. The results of the study show that sharia governance has not been empirically proven to be able to encourage the extent of Islamic social reporting in Islamic banks. The results of the study did not find empirical evidence that the performance of maqashid sharia related to educating individuals and establishing justice is not a driver that has an impact on the reach of Islamic social reporting. However, the performance of maqashid sharia in the form of promoting welfare through the amount of zakat funds channeled by Islamic banks has been proven empirically to influence the extent of Islamic social reporting. ROE and ROA have no significant effect on Islamic social reporting, while the size of Islamic banks has a positive and significant effect on the extent of Islamic social reporting of Islamic banks in Indonesia.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have become one of the most significant tools for consolidating banks and financial institutions (BFIs) in Nepal, which has slowed the exponential growth of banks and financial institutions since the central bank of Nepal imposed a new mandatory capital requirement. This research paper examines the consolidation and restructuring effects in Nepal’s banking sector, predominately through M&As. This study answers a key question related to the M&A effect on the financial performance of commercial banks using a set of 13 financial ratios. The study used a sample of seven commercial banks that were involved in M&A transactions between 2013 and 2020, and their significant differences in financial ratios were measured by comparing financial performance data from the three years before and after the M&A using a paired t-test statistic. The financial performance of commercial banks improved significantly after the M&A, as measured by liquidity and leverage ratios. However, the ratios of profitability and shareholder wealth show either no change or a marginal change after the M&A. This finding contributed to existing research gaps in the financial performance of the banking sector before and after the M&A in the Nepalese context and has significant policy implications for commercial banks, shareholders, government, and regulatory bodies to enforce M&A policies, review their existing M&A laws, and M&A deals between banks and financial institutions to take synergy benefits in the long term.

This study aims to examine the influence of green human resource management (HRM) practices on the service behaviors of bank employees operating in the banking sector of Bangladesh. The study endeavors to offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of green HRM practices in enhancing practices and employee service behaviors in the banking sector. The results indicate that green human resource management practices have a beneficial influence on employee service behaviors by green knowledge sharing, green training and development, green performance appraisal, green reward system. This study also emphasizes how green HRM practices affect banks in terms of organizational sustainability, employee motivation, talent acquisition and retention, and the necessity of ongoing evaluation and improvement. Moreover, the current study used convenience sampling techniques to collect data from 258 workers of several commercial banks in Bangladesh using a self-reported questionnaire that had been modified from other studies. 95% confidence interval was used to accept the hypotheses during regression analysis. The results show that each and every hypothesis is supported, whereas hypothesis tests were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. The results show that employees’ knowledge sharing tendency, training facility, performance appraisal and reward system have a significant and positive impact on bank employees’ service behavior. This study may contribute to the growing subject of sustainable HRM and offers useful advice for banks looking to include environmental sustainability into their HRM plans to spur progress and enhance service.

This study examines the relationship between money supply, macroeconomic indicators, and foreign portfolio investment in Vietnam. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model and Stata 17 software to analyze quarterly data from Q1/2007 to Q4/2022, the analysis reveals strong and enduring correlations. An increase in money supply and economic growth positively influences foreign portfolio investment, with the money supply from the previous quarters significantly impacting foreign portfolio investment (P-value < 0.01). However, foreign exchange rates and foreign direct investment negatively affect foreign portfolio investment. Three macroeconomic indicators show significance at 1% and 5%, where gross domestic product positively affects foreign portfolio investment, while foreign exchange rates and foreign direct investment have detrimental impacts. The findings indicate that a 1% increase in gross domestic product leads to a USD 50.426 million increase in foreign portfolio investment, while a USD 1 million increase in foreign direct investment results in a USD 0.025 million decrease. Foreign exchange rates significantly affect foreign portfolio investment, with the potential for reduction through VND devaluation or an increase in the VND/USD exchange rate due to government adjustments. Definitive conclusions about external debt, interest rates, and inflation require additional data and research. The study’s R-squared value is 0.2738, with an adjusted R-squared of 0.1813, explaining 27.38% of future changes in Vietnam’s foreign portfolio investment. These findings have important implications for policymakers, suggesting that expanding the money supply and implementing suitable interest rate policies could enhance foreign portfolio investment attractiveness in the nearest term.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to thank the board of editors and the anonymous reviewers for their time and suggestions, which were most helpful in improving this article.

The growth of financial technology (fintech) brings happiness to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that banks have denied access to credit. However, this condition has the potential to create a climate of intensified competition in the credit market and threaten banking stability. Therefore, this study examines the impact of banking stability and fintech on credit performance and credit access of MSMEs. This study uses a sample of 46 public commercial banks of the Republic of Indonesia and uses quarterly data from 2010 to 2022. The number of observations used for bank stability variables was 2,392, and for the fintech variables, 921 observations. This research analysis uses the fixed effect model method with robust standard errors. The results show that bank stability and fintech effect MSMEs’ credit performance and their access to credit. This finding encourages the competition-fragility theory. Bank stability reduces nonperforming loans and MSMEs’ access to credit. This indicates that stable banks encourage better MSME loan performance and thus restrict their lending to MSMEs. The existence of fintech is proven to improve MSMEs’ non-performing loans and their access to credit. Fintech that facilitates easy credit causes MSMEs` credit performance at banks to fall, which in turn opens the gate for MSME credit. The implication is that the financial services authority (OJK) needs to tighten further the online lending of fintech companies that have put more burden on MSMEs with high capital costs that can affect the ability of MSMEs to pay bank loan installments.

Acknowledgments
Appreciation is given to the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, which has provided a fundamental research grant with contract number 182/E5/PG.02.00.PL/2023. Thanks are also given to higher education service institutions (LLDIKTI) Region 6 and the Institute of Research and Community Services (LPPM) Unisnu Jepara Indonesia, which has supported this research.

In an era defined by global economic uncertainty, the role of management performance in influencing bank risk-taking has become pivotal. This urgency stems from the evolving dynamics of the banking sector and the need for robust risk management strategies. This study investigates the relationship between management performance and banks’ risk-taking behavior, drawing data from 248 banks across eight countries comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates spanning 2013–2021 using panel data analysis. The study reveals that management performance measured by a cost-to-income ratio (β = –0.44, p < 0.01) has a negative and significant relationship with bank risk-taking behavior. In essence, a bank with superior management performance, indicated by a lower cost-to-income ratio, tends to have greater financial stability, as evidenced by a higher Z-score. Notably, external factors like the financial crisis and institutional development as moderating variables do not significantly alter the relationship between management performance and banks’ risk-taking behavior. The study also discovers that Islamic banks (β = 0.31, p < 0.01) outperform their conventional counterparts in risk management and management performance. However, it is worth noting that the results of regional analysis demonstrate variations across the Southeast, South, and Middle East regions. After conducting several robustness check tests, the findings of this study remain consistent, offering valuable implications for both policymakers and bank management. These insights emphasize the importance of formulating appropriate regulations and frameworks to enhance management performance at the banking level.

Acknowledgment
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from Direktorat Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat (DPPM) Universitas Islam Indonesia No: 006/Dir/DPPM/70/Pen.Unggulan/III/2023 for providing a research grant to this study.

This study’s objective is to examine the impact of employee innovativeness, readiness to change, employee creativity, and learning capability on the financial performance of private banks in Bangladesh. The study involved 334 bank employees from three prominent private banks in Bangladesh. Those banks were selected with better ratings by the central bank and have several branches across the country. First, branch managers were contacted about this study and collected employee emails from each branch information desk. Then, email invitations were sent to each employee of the selected bank branches. This study involved branch managers, senior officers, officers, and junior bank executives. Past studies also considered senior and junior bank officers as they directly contribute to a bank’s performance. The study utilized a methodical questionnaire to assess the three independent variables: employee innovativeness, readiness to change, and learning capability. The dependent variable in this study was financial performance, which was assessed through key financial indicators such as profitability and sales growth over three years. SPSS was utilized to conduct hypothesis testing by considering 95% confidence interval. Correlation results show that all three independent variables were significantly correlated with the bank’s financial performance. The study’s regression results suggest that bank employees’ readiness to change (β value = 0.393) significantly impacts the bank’s financial performance, followed by employee innovativeness (β value = 0.338). On the other hand, employees’ learning capability (β value = 0.202) has the least significant impact on financial performance. Moreover, three independent variables explain 42.9% variance in bank financial performance.

This study investigates the effect of interest rates on credit access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. The study employs a quantitative research design, using data collected from 200 SMEs in South Africa. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis, and multiple regression analysis. An inverse relationship between interest rate and credit accessibility was found using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r = –.199, p < 0.05). The results show that interest rates have a significant negative effect on credit access for SMEs in South Africa. Moreover, the study finds that SMEs experience considerable obstacles in obtaining affordable credit, and that interest rates play a crucial role in this. The study recommends that policymakers in South Africa should consider reducing interest rates and relaxing collateral requirements to improve credit access in SMEs. Furthermore, the study suggests that SMEs should focus on building a good credit history to improve their creditworthiness and increase their chances of accessing credit. Overall, the findings of this study contribute to the existing literature on the effect of interest rates on credit access for SMEs and provide insights for policymakers and SME owners in South Africa.

The purpose of the study is to explore the influence of central bank digital currency on stock markets. To realize the purpose, the TVP-VAR model was built, which determines the impact of volatility of the CBDC attention index (CBDCAI) on the volatility of stock market indices. The study uses a time-varying vector autoregressive model that analyzes weekly data from the first week of January 2015 to the first week of July 2023. The endogenous vector to be assessed by VAR contains CBDCAI and stock market indices of different countries (France: CAC 40, The United States of America: S&P 500, Germany: DAX 40, United Kingdom: FTSE 100, China: SSEC, The Netherlands AEX 25, Switzerland: SMI 20, Japan: Nikkei 225, India: NIFTY 50, Brazil: BVSP, South Korea: KOSPI). The results of the TVP-VAR model show that compared to stock market indices, CBDCAI appeared to be relatively independent and isolated. Interdependence and mutual influence between the digital currency market of central banks and stock markets were also revealed. In addition, CBDC functions primarily as a volatility absorber rather than a source of volatility. Despite the overall ability of the CBDC market to absorb fluctuations in volatility, it may also change its function with the widespread adoption of central bank digital currencies in many countries.

Analysts continue to demand explanations for the continuous flow of depositors’ and investors’ funds to persistently underperforming banks, while universal banking is premised on the ability to outperform the market. This study examines the effect of bank-level factors on the profitability of banks under changing economic conditions, using a dynamic panel system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique for panel data collected from 18 universal banks in Ghana. The data collection period was from 2007 to 2021. The analysis revealed that lagged return on assets, capital adequacy ratio, and deposit to total asset ratio have a positive influence on bank profitability, whereas lagged return on equity, bank size, expenditure, and asset quality negatively impact profitability. While the effect of these variables on profitability is expected considering the literature, the evidence obtained for asset quality is inconsistent with the explanations in the literature as an increase in asset quality is expected to drive an impressive trend in profitability. Furthermore, a negative relationship was found to exist between economic growth and bank performance when economic expansion exerts a deteriorating effect on the returns on bank assets. This can be linked to the dispersion of investors’ and customers’ funds to other investments, which limits the amount of funds available to the banks to grant credits for interest income. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that bank-specific dynamics adapt to changes in economic conditions which can be explained by the normative guidelines of the Adaptive Market Hypothesis.

Asia Pacific is the region with the highest number of losses in the world. While Indonesia ranks fourth in the number of frauds, it has the highest increase in frauds based on the CPI index. This study aims to examine employee fraud triggered by the six components of the fraud hexagon. This study tries to develop the hexagon fraud element by adding power distance elements and using ethical values as a moderating variable. This study conducted a survey of 351 respondents. Using a purposive sampling method, the heads of funds, heads of credit, heads of treasurers and heads of accountants were selected as respondents in 128 rural banks in Bali. PLS displays an adjusted R2 value of 0.331. Not all elements of the fraud hexagon are proven to influence fraud. Only pressure, opportunity, rationalization, and ego affect employees in committing fraud. Meanwhile, power distance as an additional element of the fraud hexagon can increase fraud. Ethical values can become an anti-fraud strategy in reducing employee pressure and ego in committing fraud. The results of this study will provide input for rural bank managers to anticipate factors that increase employee fraud and increase the role of ethical values in suppressing employees’ desire to commit fraud.

The relevance of this study lies in the importance of the two variables – profitability and cash flow – for the financial performance of banks, as well as the unique characteristics of the Jordanian banking sector. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether there is a significant relationship between profitability and cash flow in Jordanian banks and to identify potential factors that influence this relationship. The study methods are to employ a quantitative research method, using financial data from Jordanian banks over a period (2008–2019), Granger causality tests are used to describe the link between cash flow and profitability. The study results show a significant link between profitability and cash flow in Jordanian banks. Specifically, the study finds that a one percent increase in cash flow results in a 0.27 percent increase in profitability. The Adj-R2 for the three cash flow models is 11.4%, 17.3%, and 20.4%, respectively. Conversely, the Adj-R2 for the three models’ earnings are 21.4%, 21.5%, and 22.3%, respectively. However, the magnitude of the link seems to be weaker in Jordanian banks compared to banks in other countries. The study concludes that cash flow from operating is an important factor in improving the profitability of Jordanian banks.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the sensitivity of connectedness among bank stock returns in Vietnam. The aim of this study is to examine the strength of this connectedness along with the effect of government lockdown policy and COVID-19 cases on the total connectedness index (TCI) of 16 listed banks on Vietnamese stock exchanges. They are assessed using the database of FiinPro on the banking sector between January 2020 and July 2022, Vietnam Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and The World Health Organization (WHO) on the COVID-19 pandemic, employing a time-varying-parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) connectedness framework and the conditional quantile regression model.
The results show that at the firm level, there is strong interdependence among bank stock returns with the average TCI being as high as 90.66%. It is also revealed that medium and large-sized banks are receivers of shock, while smaller banks are transmitters. As far as the impact on TCI is concerned, the widespread of the pandemic with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases is significantly negative, whereas the tightening of lockdown is significantly positive. Besides, the degree of the impact varies according to the 95th, 75th, 50th and 25th levels of conditional quantile regression. Based on the study’s findings, individual investors are recommended to thoroughly analyze the connectedness of banks before making investment decisions, while bank regulators should strengthen controls on credit relationships with small banks. Regarding policy makers, it is proposed to apply flexible restrictions and short-term lockdown depending on the actual outbreak of the pandemic.

Acknowledgment
The paper was conducted within the scope of Project QG21.48 of Vietnam National University.

Commercial banks in Pakistan have a great potential to improve competitiveness and financial performance through fintech adoption. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of fintech adoption on financial performance of commercial banks while emphasizing the moderating role of social influence and mediating role of competitiveness in the banks in Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with five largest and most reputed commercial banks in Pakistan. Bank employees, particularly bank managers, were chosen as the respondents. The sample size for the study was 367 bank managers selected randomly from the chosen commercial banks. A standardized and structured questionnaire was used to interview the selected respondents to collect primary data. The partial least square structural equation modelling was employed to analyze the data and process the findings of the study. The analysis revealed that 62% of the respondents were male, and nearly 47% were in the age of 40 years and above. The study found a positive and significant impact of fintech adoption on the financial performance of banks. It was also found that social influence had a significant impact on banks’ competitiveness. Moreover, the findings revealed that competitiveness had a significant mediation impact on the increase in fintech adoption and consequently on the financial performance of banks.

Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the respondents (i.e., the employees of the selected banks) to participate in the survey without any financial benefit.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of board structure and ownership structure on capital structure of Shariah-compliant firms and Non-Shariah-compliant firms in Indonesia. The study used the Generalized Method of Moments to analyze the relationship by applying 2,739 data observations of non-financial companies registered on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study uses commissionaire size, director size, female director, female commissionaire, independent director, and independent commissionaire as proxies for board structure, and ownership concentration and government ownership for ownership structure. The results showed that for Sharia-compliant firms, the relevant determinants are all variables of board structure and ownership structure except independent director. For Sharia non-compliant firms, the only non-relevant determinants are female director and commissionaire size. Interestingly, most of the board structure variables in Shariah compliant firms indicate a strong negative relationship with capital structure of firms (except total commissionaire). This may indicate that board structure of Shariah compliant firms strives to lower the leverage level of the firm. This may also indicate that most managers of Shariah compliant firms are risk averse.

This study investigates the relationship and the magnitude of the influence of perceived training in labor law knowledge on employees’ organizational commitment, with job satisfaction as a mediating factor. The study concentrates on the commercial banking sector in Vietnam, an emerging developing country in Southeast Asia. Data were gathered through interviews with 496 employees from 20 commercial banks in Vietnam. Applying partial least squares structural equation modeling, the analysis indicates that employees’ perceptions of training in labor law knowledge have both direct and indirect effects on their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The perceived motivation for training, perceived benefits of training, perceived availability of training, and perceived support from management and colleagues all serve as significant mediators in this relationship. Notably, increased job satisfaction significantly contributes to a positive impact on employees’ commitment to the organization. However, the study results suggest that employees’ perceived benefits of labor law training do not have a significant influence on their commitment to the organization. Nonetheless, these results serve as a foundation for managerial implications, offering valuable insights to enterprise managers in the commercial bank sector to improve future labor law training.

Acknowledgment
This collaborative research involves scholars from the University of Law – Hue University and Duy Tan University. The authors extend their gratitude to both institutions for their support and assistance in facilitating the publication of this research.

The paper aims to define the specifics of the mutual interconnection between bank capitalization and indicators of macroeconomic stability. This is achieved by the following methods: grouping, analysis and synthesis, analysis of descriptive statistics, and canonical correlation analysis. The study was carried out based on eight bank capitalization indicators and five macroeconomic stability indicators in seventeen South-West Asian countries from 2010 to 2020. The information base of the research is the dataset from the World Bank. The selected list of indicators is determined by the availability of statistical information for the countries participating in the study. It was found that there is a close canonical correlation between the level of bank capitalization and the macroeconomic stability of the countries under investigation – 0.97 (2010) and 0.99 (2020). The variation of the investigated indicators of macroeconomic stability (68.95% (2010) and 70.64% (2020)) is determined by the change in bank capitalization indicators. On the other hand, the difference in macroeconomic stability indicators of countries by 48.66% (2010) and 42.79% (2020) is due to changes in bank capitalization indicators. Four indicators exert the most significant favorable influence on the level of bank capitalization: Bank return on assets – 0.303 (2010) and 13.033 (2020), Bank return on equity – 0.446 (2010) and 13.387 (2020), Bank regulatory capital to risk-weighted assets – 0.812 (2010), and Bank deposits to GDP – 1.580 (2020). The macroeconomic stability of countries is determined by two indicators: GNI – 3.311 (2010) and 3.461 (2020); GDP – 4.748 (2010) and 4.672 (2020).

This study explores the pivotal role of financial technology (FinTech) in the performance of Islamic banks and financial institutions, considering both challenges and opportunities encountered during the pandemic-induced market disruptions. Amid lockdowns and economic uncertainties, the study delves into the strategies adopted by several countries, with a particular emphasis on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, along with Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan, underscoring the importance of technological innovation in fostering a dynamic Islamic finance sector. Utilizing a data analysis approach, the study assesses the impact of heightened digitalization and the integration of FinTech on the resilience of the Islamic finance industry within an inherently volatile environment, marked by challenges during pre and post pandemics. The findings reveal that the adoption of FinTech fortifies the industry’s resilience and unveils novel growth prospects. However, the study also identifies potential avenues for expansion, particularly in Sukuk issuance, through the implementation of regulatory guidelines and faster adoption. The research underscores the transformative influence of financial technology reforms on the growth trajectory of Islamic banks. In light of the superior performance of Islamic banking in selected domains, this study advocates for a paradigm shift within the industry, encouraging the robust development of FinTech solutions to enhance its global market presence.

Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge that this research work was partially financed by Kingdom University, Bahrain from the research grant number: 2023 - 10 - 012.

Assessing the effectiveness of the inflation targeting framework via the interest rate channel remains crucial in the current monetary policy debate. For Ukraine, the relevance of this discussion is enhanced by the adoption by the National Bank of a rigid inflation targeting policy since 2016, as well as by the challenges of price stability during war. The aim of the study is to identify how the discount rate affects the money market rates and how this affects inflation in Ukraine. Employing a VAR model on monthly data spanning 2016 – Q1 2022, the analysis demonstrates weak empirical evidence for the interest rate channel effectiveness. The impulse response indicates that the discount rate’s initial effect does not provide long-term inflation dynamics control. Variance decomposition analysis highlights the minimal influence of the NBU’s discount rate, primarily evident in the refinancing rate, followed by its impact on the rate of term deposits made by individuals, followed by the inflation, followed by the rate of new loans granted to residents, and finally the rate of government bond yields. Addressing the limitations of a rigid inflation targeting approach, the study recommends adopting a balanced approach, considering both price stability supported by exchange rate control measures and fostering economic growth. Additionally, a viable strategy for deepening the financial sector should be developed.

Ensuring price stability is a dominant function of the central bank. Empirical studies on various statistical samples give conflicting results regarding the influence of central bank independence on the inflation rate. The study offers a methodology for assessing the role of the formation of a national pattern of central bank independence in ensuring price stability. Calculations were made for 53 countries of the world using a combination of cluster analysis tools and panel regression modeling. The cluster analysis carried out at different time intervals of the study allowed defining three patterns of the formation of central bank independence. The changes in the clusters characterizing the peculiarities of the national patterns of central bank independence shows that for a number of countries there is no stable national pattern. Modeling based on panel data showed that when forming a country pattern “Limited level of central bank independence”, an increase in the level of independence of the central bank by one unit on average leads to an increase in the inflation rate by 7.09%. On the other hand, in the countries with the national patterns of central bank independence “Dominance of the institutional and financial component of ensuring the independence of the central bank” and “Dominance of the personal and functional component of ensuring the independence of the central bank”, the expected consequence of increasing the level of independence of the central bank by one unit is to reduce the inflation rate by an average of 3.32% and 6.03%, respectively.