IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v85y2025icp1613-1624.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Green loans: Navigating the path to sustainable profitability in banking

Author

Listed:
  • Riyanti, Ririen Setiati
  • Wulandari, Permata
  • Prijadi, Ruslan
  • Tortosa-Ausina, Emili

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of green loans distribution on the sustainable profitability performance of banks, as evaluated by measures such as Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Net Interest Margin (NIM). The analysis examined reports and websites of Indonesian banks, specifically targeting 89 conventional banks unaffected by any governance changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, or conversion to Sharia Banks, over the duration of the study. The research used panel regression analysis and included bank-specific features as control variables. The results demonstrate that the presence of green loans in a bank's loan portfolio negatively impacts its profitability. Several variables affect the strength of the correlation between green loans and bank profits. Banks' green loans sustainable profitability performance and the economic advantages that follow should be investigated concerning several elements, not just the degree of green development. This paper's research contribution will help commercial banks to improve their financial performance by implementing green loans policies. The government can then further improve these policies to motivate banks to implement green loans and achieve sustainable development. The government should strengthen green loans incentive policies and commercial banks should aggressively expand their green loans operations to encourage the coordinated growth of green finance and an environmentally friendly economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Riyanti, Ririen Setiati & Wulandari, Permata & Prijadi, Ruslan & Tortosa-Ausina, Emili, 2025. "Green loans: Navigating the path to sustainable profitability in banking," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1613-1624.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:85:y:2025:i:c:p:1613-1624
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2025.01.028
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592625000281
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2025.01.028?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kohtamäki, Marko & Bhandari, Krishna Raj & Rabetino, Rodrigo & Ranta, Mikko, 2024. "Sustainable servitization in product manufacturing companies: The relationship between firm's sustainability emphasis and profitability and the moderating role of servitization," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    2. Dimitris K. Chronopoulos & Hong Liu & Fiona J. McMillan & John O.S. Wilson, 2015. "The dynamics of US bank profitability," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(5), pages 426-443, March.
    3. Hakimi Abdelaziz & Boussaada Rim & Hamdi Helmi, 2022. "The Interactional Relationships Between Credit Risk, Liquidity Risk and Bank Profitability in MENA Region," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 23(3), pages 561-583, June.
    4. Qian Liu & Yiheng You, 2023. "FinTech and Green Credit Development—Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, March.
    5. Liu, Wei & Shen, Yedan & Razzaq, Asim, 2023. "How renewable energy investment, environmental regulations, and financial development derive renewable energy transition: Evidence from G7 countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1188-1197.
    6. Shi, Xianwang & Ma, Jianteng & Jiang, Anxuan & Wei, Shuang & Yue, Leilei, 2023. "Green bonds: Green investments or greenwashing?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Muhtar Sapiri & Aditya Halim Perdana Kusuma Putra, 2023. "Causality of Bank Financial Performance, Green Bond, CSR, Green Financing Portfolio and CO2 Emissions in Transportation: Evidence from Indonesia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(6), pages 511-522, November.
    8. Chien, FengSheng & Paramaiah, Ch & joseph, Robinson & Pham, Hong Chuong & Phan, Thi Thu Hien & Ngo, Thanh Quang, 2023. "The impact of eco-innovation, trade openness, financial development, green energy and government governance on sustainable development in ASEAN countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 259-268.
    9. Zhou, Bo & Zhang, Cheng, 2023. "When green finance meets banking competition: Evidence from hard-to-abate enterprises of China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    10. Tran, Dung Viet & Bui, Dien Giau & Nguyen, Cuong & Hoang, Huy Viet, 2023. "Bank liquidity hoarding during the COVID-19 pandemic," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PB).
    11. Huang, Hongyun & Mbanyele, William & Wang, Fengrong & Zhang, Chenxi & Zhao, Xin, 2023. "Nudging corporate environmental responsibility through green finance? Quasi-natural experimental evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    12. Begoña Torre Olmo & María Cantero Saiz & Sergio Sanfilippo Azofra, 2021. "Sustainable Banking, Market Power, and Efficiency: Effects on Banks’ Profitability and Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, January.
    13. Heitmann, Dennis & Chowdhury, Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous & Islam, Mohammad Saiful, 2023. "Heterogeneous impact of Covid-19 on the US banking sector," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    14. Elisa Menicucci & Guido Paolucci, 2016. "The determinants of bank profitability: empirical evidence from European banking sector," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(1), pages 86-115, July.
    15. Andini Nurwulandari & Hasanudin Hasanudin & Bambang Subiyanto & Yulia Catur Pratiwi, 2022. "Risk Based bank rating and financial performance of Indonesian commercial banks with GCG as intervening variable," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 2127486-212, December.
    16. Mateev, Miroslav & Moudud-Ul-Huq, Syed & Sahyouni, Ahmad & Tariq, Muhammad Usman, 2022. "Capital regulation, competition and risk-taking: Policy implications for banking sector stability in the MENA region," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    17. Thich Van Nguyen & Hang T.T. Bui & Chi H.D. Le, 2022. "The impacts of corporate social responsibility to corporate financial performance: A case study of Vietnamese commercial banks," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 2132642-213, December.
    18. Cicchiello, Antonella Francesca & Cotugno, Matteo & Perdichizzi, Salvatore & Torluccio, Giuseppe, 2022. "Do capital buffers matter? Evidence from the stocks and flows of nonperforming loans," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    19. Xiaoling Song & Xin Deng & Ruixue Wu, 2019. "Comparing the Influence of Green Credit on Commercial Bank Profitability in China and Abroad: Empirical Test Based on a Dynamic Panel System Using GMM," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-16, November.
    20. Isaac Akomea-Frimpong & David Adeabah & Deborah Ofosu & Emmanuel Junior Tenakwah, 2022. "A review of studies on green finance of banks, research gaps and future directions," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(4), pages 1241-1264, October.
    21. Neeraj Gupta & Jitendra Mahakud & David McMillan, 2020. "Ownership, bank size, capitalization and bank performance: Evidence from India," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 1808282-180, January.
    22. Bouzgarrou, Houssam & Jouida, Sameh & Louhichi, Waël, 2018. "Bank profitability during and before the financial crisis: Domestic versus foreign banks," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 26-39.
    23. Mirza, Nawazish & Afzal, Ayesha & Umar, Muhammad & Skare, Marinko, 2023. "The impact of green lending on banking performance: Evidence from SME credit portfolios in the BRIC," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 843-850.
    24. Olszak, Małgorzata & Kowalska, Iwona, 2023. "Do competition and market structure affect sensitivity of bank profitability to the business cycle?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    25. Halit Gonenc & Bert Scholtens, 2019. "Responsibility and Performance Relationship in the Banking Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-49, June.
    26. Schabek, Tomasz, 2020. "The financial performance of sustainable power producers in emerging markets," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 1408-1419.
    27. Al-Khazali, Osamah M. & Mirzaei, Ali, 2017. "The impact of oil price movements on bank non-performing loans: Global evidence from oil-exporting countries," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 193-208.
    28. Pardo, J.J. & Domínguez, A. & Léllis, B.C. & Montoya, F. & Tarjuelo, J.M. & Martínez-Romero, A., 2022. "Effect of the optimized regulated deficit irrigation methodology on quality, profitability and sustainability of barley in water scarce areas," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    29. Olaf Weber, 2017. "Corporate sustainability and financial performance of Chinese banks," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(3), pages 358-385, July.
    30. Luqi Yuan & Shihong Zeng, 2023. "An Empirical Study on the Impact of Green Credit on Financial Performance of China’s Listed Banks," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 13(2), pages 1-5.
    31. Beltratti, Andrea & Paladino, Giovanna, 2015. "Bank leverage and profitability: Evidence from a sample of international banks," Review of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 46-57.
    32. Fiona Tregenna, 2009. "Characterising deindustrialisation: An analysis of changes in manufacturing employment and output internationally," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 33(3), pages 433-466, May.
    33. Shabir, Mohsin & Jiang, Ping & Wang, Wenhao & Işık, Özcan, 2023. "COVID-19 pandemic impact on banking sector: A cross-country analysis," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    34. Elekdag, Selim & Malik, Sheheryar & Mitra, Srobona, 2020. "Breaking the Bank? A Probabilistic Assessment of Euro Area Bank Profitability," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    35. Yao, Shouyu & Pan, Yuying & Sensoy, Ahmet & Uddin, Gazi Salah & Cheng, Feiyang, 2021. "Green credit policy and firm performance: What we learn from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    36. Piaopeng Song & Yuxiao Gu & Bin Su & Arifa Tanveer & Qiao Peng & Weijun Gao & Shaomin Wu & Shihong Zeng, 2023. "The Impact of Green Technology Research and Development (R&D) Investment on Performance: A Case Study of Listed Energy Companies in Beijing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-24, August.
    37. Olaf Weber, 2017. "Corporate sustainability and financial performance of Chinese banks," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(3), pages 358-385, July.
    38. Eissa A. Al-Homaidi & Mosab I. Tabash & Najib H. S. Farhan & Faozi A. Almaqtari, 2018. "Bank-specific and macro-economic determinants of profitability of Indian commercial banks: A panel data approach," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1548072-154, January.
    39. Vera Mirovic & Branimir Kalas & Ines Djokic & Nikola Milicevic & Nenad Djokic & Milos Djakovic, 2023. "Green Loans in Bank Portfolio: Financial and Marketing Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-14, March.
    40. Khoa Dang Duong & Phuong Mai Duong Tran & Phung Y Ngoc Nguyen & Ha Pham, 2023. "How do funding diversity and non-performing loans affect bank performance in different economic cycles?," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 2215076-221, December.
    41. Nariman Abuatwan, 2023. "The Impact of Green Finance on the Sustainability Performance of the Banking Sector in Palestine: The Moderating Role of Female Presence," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-21, October.
    42. Mili, Mehdi & Sahut, Jean-Michel & Trimeche, Hatem & Teulon, Frédéric, 2017. "Determinants of the capital adequacy ratio of foreign banks’ subsidiaries: The role of interbank market and regulation," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 442-453.
    43. Najam, Hina & Abbas, Jawad & Álvarez-Otero, Susana & Dogan, Eyup & Sial, Muhammad Safdar, 2022. "Towards green recovery: Can banks achieve financial sustainability through income diversification in ASEAN countries?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 522-533.
    44. Zhu, Bo & Zhao, Yue, 2022. "Carbon risk and the cost of bank loans: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    45. Herenia Gutiérrez-Ponce & Sigit Arie Wibowo, 2023. "Do Sustainability Activities Affect the Financial Performance of Banks? The Case of Indonesian Banks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.
    46. Muhammad Haris & HongXing Yao & Gulzara Tariq & Ali Malik & Hafiz Mustansar Javaid, 2019. "Intellectual Capital Performance and Profitability of Banks: Evidence from Pakistan," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-26, April.
    47. Oritsegbubemi Kehinde Natufe & Esther Ikavbo Evbayiro-Osagie, 2023. "Credit Risk Management and the Financial Performance of Deposit Money Banks: Some New Evidence," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-23, June.
    48. Haddou, Samira, 2022. "International financial stress spillovers to bank lending: Do internal characteristics matter?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    49. Elisa Menicucci & Guido Paolucci, 2016. "The determinants of bank profitability: empirical evidence from European banking sector," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(1), pages 86-115, July.
    50. Kanga, Désiré & Murinde, Victor & Soumaré, Issouf, 2020. "Capital, risk and profitability of WAEMU banks: Does bank ownership matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Giedrė Lapinskienė & Tadas Gudaitis & Rita Martišienė, 2025. "Green Loans: Expert Perspectives," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-17, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Taslima Akther & Mushfiqur Rahman & Md. Mufidur Rahman, 2023. "Factors influencing commercial bank profitability in Bangladesh: a panel data approach," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Tekalign Negash Kebede, 2025. "Unveiling the drivers of bank profitability: insights from Ethiopian banks," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Prabhas Kumar Rath, 2023. "Nexus Between Indian Financial Markets and Macro-economic Shocks: A VAR Approach," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 30(1), pages 131-164, March.
    4. Murè, P. & Giorgio, S. & Antonelli, V. & Bittucci, L., 2025. "Environmental credit products: Where do we stand? A response from an academic content analysis," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    5. Muhammad Haris & Yong Tan & Ali Malik & Qurat Ul Ain, 2020. "A Study on the Impact of Capitalization on the Profitability of Banks in Emerging Markets: A Case of Pakistan," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, September.
    6. Marwan Al-Zoubi & Mais Sha’ban, 2023. "Bank performance, capital and size: a comparative analysis in MENA and EU," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(3), pages 677-702, December.
    7. Olga Miroshnichenko & Elena Iakovleva & Natalia Voronova, 2022. "Banking Sector Profitability: Does Household Income Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Abdulai, Shirazu Kuvidana & Umar, Siisu, 2022. "The Impact of Capital Adequacy and Bank Size on Profitability of Ghanaian Banks," MPRA Paper 122478, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2022.
    9. Teresa C. Herrador-Alcaide & Montserrat Hernández-Solís & Susana Cortés Rodríguez, 2023. "Mapping barriers to green supply chains in empirical research on green banking," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    10. Sanni Mubaraq & Salami Abdulai Agbaje & Uthman Ahmad Bukola, 2020. "Determinants of Bank Performance in Nigeria: Do they Behave Differently with Risk-Adjusted Returns?," Studia Universitatis „Vasile Goldis” Arad – Economics Series, Sciendo, vol. 30(3), pages 1-34, September.
    11. Wang, Jiamei & Chen, Haibin & Zhang, Heng & Luo, Jianchao & Cheng, Mingwang & Zhang, Jiaping, 2022. "Property rights reform and capital adequacy ratios of rural credit cooperatives in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    12. Olszak, Małgorzata & Kowalska, Iwona, 2023. "Do competition and market structure affect sensitivity of bank profitability to the business cycle?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    13. Serhat Yüksel & Hasan Dinçer & Duygu Yavuz, 2023. "Determination of Priority Factors for the Development of Green Banking Practices in Turkey with the Fuzzy DEMATEL Method," Journal of Sustainable Development Issues (JOSDI), SDIjournals, vol. 1(1), pages 23-41, December.
    14. Bouteska, Ahmed & Büyükoğlu, Burak & Ekşi, Ibrahim Halil, 2023. "How effective are banking regulations on banking performance and risk? Evidence from selected European countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    15. Mosab I. Tabash & Eissa A. Al-Homaidi & Anwar Ahmad & Najib H.S. Farhan, 2020. "Factors affecting financial performance of Indian firms: an empirical investigation of firms listed on Bombay Stock Exchange," International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(2), pages 152-172.
    16. Mohammad Sofie Abdul Hasan & Adler Haymans Manurung & Bahtiar Usman, 2020. "Determinants of Bank Profitability with Size as Moderating Variable," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 10(3), pages 1-7.
    17. Chen Jiaxu, 2025. "Impact of Green Credit on the Performance of Commercial Banks: Evidence from 42 Chinese Listed Banks," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 19(1), pages 1-15.
    18. Cao, June & Huang, Zijie & Shahid, Ahmad Usman, 2025. "Fostering environmental integrity via investor-focused communications: Private in-house meeting disclosures and greenwashing behaviors," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    19. Leandro Coghi Bernardelli & Carlos Enrique Carrasco-Gutierrez, 2024. "Macroeconomic, industry-specific and bank-specific determinants of the profitability of Brazilian banks: dynamic panel evidence," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 693-726, August.
    20. Shi, Zhengxu & Xia, Yufei & He, Lingyun & Sun, Naili & Zheng, Qiong, 2025. "Can internal regulatory technology (RegTech) mitigate bank credit risk? Evidence from the banking sector in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Green loans; Bank sustainable profitability performance; Indonesia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G29 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Other

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:85:y:2025:i:c:p:1613-1624. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.