Issue #4 (Volume 20 2025)

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study investigates how corporate governance (CG) shapes financial reporting quality in Jordanian banks and whether audit quality mediates this relationship. Motivated by persistent agency challenges and evolving regulatory expectations in emerging markets, the research examines whether core governance principles – discipline, transparency, independence, accountability, and fairness – translate into more timely, comparable, and understandable reports. A cross-sectional survey of senior executives and board members from 20 banks headquartered in Amman produced 214 valid responses (July–November 2022). Measurement validity and reliability were established, and structural equation modeling was used to test direct and indirect pathways. The results show that CG exerts a strong positive effect on financial reporting quality (β = 0.608) and that audit quality independently enhances reporting outcomes. Mediation analysis indicates that audit quality functions as a significant partial mediator of the CG-reporting link (indirect β = 0.247), demonstrating that governance improvements are amplified when supported by competent, independent, and professionally rigorous audits. These findings imply that governance architecture and assurance practices operate as complementary mechanisms: robust boards and effective audit committees create the conditions for high-quality audits, which in turn convert governance intent into decision-useful disclosures. The study provides context-specific evidence from Jordan’s banking sector, clarifying the channels through which governance reforms strengthen reporting credibility. Practically, the results endorse reinforcing audit committee independence, resourcing internal controls, and embedding transparent disclosure norms to sustain market confidence and align with international reporting expectations.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study investigates the link between sustainability commitment and cash holdings and assesses the relationship between board meetings (BM), industry knowledge (IK), and Shariah Supervisory Boards (SSBs) and sustainability commitment in Indonesian Islamic banks. The analysis employs entity-year fixed effects regressions and conducts robustness checks on an unbalanced panel covering 15 banks from 2017 to 2023. Sustainability commitment is proxied by a disclosure index aligned with national and global guidelines, while cash holdings equal cash and equivalents scaled by total assets.
Results from the main specification indicate that stronger sustainability commitment is associated with higher cash holdings (p < 0.05), consistent with precautionary motives under ESG execution and disclosure scrutiny. Board activity, proxied by meeting frequency, is positively related to sustainability commitment (p < 0.01), and SSB size also shows a significant association (p < 0.01). Leadership competency is not a significant factor in the sustainability liquidity link. While standard controls are included, bank age is negatively associated with cash holdings (p < 0.01).
These findings suggest that banks with stronger sustainability commitment maintain larger liquidity buffers, and that SSB oversight and active boards help embed sustainability within prudential liquidity management. The evidence informs regulators and managers seeking to coordinate Shariah governance, sustainability mandates, and cautious liquidity practices in emerging markets.

Acknowledgment
Currently, the manuscript is under the support of The Academic Research Grant (ALG), which is an Internal Research Grant from Unpad (Padjadjaran University) for the year 2023 with reference number 1549/UN6.3.1/PT.00/2023.