IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v85y2025ipas1544612325011973.html

Can CSR in banking reduce corruption?

Author

Listed:
  • Bitar, Mohammad
  • Obeid, Hassan
  • Ouadghiri, Imane El
  • Peillex, Jonathan

Abstract

This study examines the impact of bank involvement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corruption. Using a sample of banks from 40 countries, the results show that CSR initiatives significantly reduce corruption, with consistent findings across tests. Mechanism analysis reveals that CSR mitigates corruption by strengthening regulatory frameworks, improving stakeholder protection, diversifying resources, and enhancing transparency. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating CSR into banking strategies and regulatory requirements to address social and environmental priorities and combat corruption.

Suggested Citation

  • Bitar, Mohammad & Obeid, Hassan & Ouadghiri, Imane El & Peillex, Jonathan, 2025. "Can CSR in banking reduce corruption?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:85:y:2025:i:pa:s1544612325011973
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.107939
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325011973
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107939?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dai, Rui & Liang, Hao & Ng, Lilian, 2021. "Socially responsible corporate customers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 598-626.
    2. Bitar, Mohammad & Tarazi, Amine, 2019. "Creditor rights and bank capital decisions: Conventional vs. Islamic banking," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 69-104.
    3. Conlon, Thomas & Huan, Xing & Muckley, Cal B., 2024. "Does national culture influence malfeasance in banks around the world?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Duong, Huu Nhan & Nguyen, Justin Hung & Nguyen, My & Rhee, S. Ghon, 2020. "Navigating through economic policy uncertainty: The role of corporate cash holdings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    5. Hao Liang & Luc Renneboog, 2017. "On the Foundations of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(2), pages 853-910, April.
    6. Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Tarazi, Amine, 2024. "ESG activity and bank lending during financial crises," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    7. Maxim Mironov & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, 2016. "Corruption in Procurement and the Political Cycle in Tunneling: Evidence from Financial Transactions Data," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 287-321, May.
    8. Chrysovalantis Gaganis & Fotios Pasiouras & Menelaos Tasiou, 2024. "Corruption in Bank Lending: The Role of Culturally Endorsed Leadership Prototypes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(1), pages 193-216, August.
    9. Mushtaq Hussain Khan & Mohammad Bitar & Amine Tarazi & Arshad Hassan & Ahmad Fraz, 2024. "Corruption and bank risk-taking in dual banking systems," Working Papers hal-04443725, HAL.
    10. James Heckman, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    11. Gehrig, Thomas & Iannino, Maria Chiara & Unger, Stephan, 2024. "Social responsibility and bank resiliency," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    12. Choi, Dong Beom & Jeong, Seongjun, 2025. "CSR scores versus actual impacts: Banks’ main street lending during the great recession," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    13. Bitar, Mohammad & Tarazi, Amine, 2022. "Individualism, formal institutional environments, and bank capital decisions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    14. Sena, Vania & Duygun, Meryem & Lubrano, Giuseppe & Marra, Marianna & Shaban, Mohamed, 2018. "Board independence, corruption and innovation. Some evidence on UK subsidiaries," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 22-43.
    15. Cheung, Yan-Leung & Tan, Weiqiang & Wang, Wenming, 2020. "Where do banks value corporate social responsibility more? Evidence on the role of national culture," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    16. Lurdes Martins & Jorge Cerdeira & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2020. "Does corruption boost or harm firms’ performance in developing and emerging economies? A firm‐level study," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(8), pages 2119-2152, August.
    17. Karl V. Lins & Henri Servaes & Ane Tamayo, 2017. "Social Capital, Trust, and Firm Performance: The Value of Corporate Social Responsibility during the Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(4), pages 1785-1824, August.
    18. Bilyay-Erdogan, Seda & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Demir, Ender, 2024. "ESG performance and investment efficiency: The impact of information asymmetry," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    19. Brada, Josef C. & Drabek, Zdenek & Mendez, Jose A. & Perez, M. Fabricio, 2019. "National levels of corruption and foreign direct investment," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 31-49.
    20. Jayakody, Shashitha & Morelli, David & Oberoi, Jaideep, 2023. "Political uncertainty, corruption, and corporate cash holdings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    21. Cornett, Marcia Millon & Erhemjamts, Otgontsetseg & Tehranian, Hassan, 2016. "Greed or good deeds: An examination of the relation between corporate social responsibility and the financial performance of U.S. commercial banks around the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 137-159.
    22. Azmi, Wajahat & Hassan, M. Kabir & Houston, Reza & Karim, Mohammad Sydul, 2021. "ESG activities and banking performance: International evidence from emerging economies," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    23. Michael A. Sartor & Paul W. Beamish, 2020. "Private Sector Corruption, Public Sector Corruption and the Organizational Structure of Foreign Subsidiaries," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(4), pages 725-744, December.
    24. Lu, Jiankun & Zhang, Hongsheng & Meng, Bo, 2021. "Corruption, firm productivity, and gains from import liberalization in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    25. Yan-Leung Cheung & P. Raghavendra Rau & Aris Stouraitis, 2021. "What Determines the Return to Bribery? Evidence from Corruption Cases Worldwide," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(10), pages 6235-6265, October.
    26. Joel F Houston & Hongyu Shan, 2022. "Corporate ESG Profiles and Banking Relationships," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 35(7), pages 3373-3417.
    27. Quang Trinh, Vu & Duong Cao, Ngan & Li, Teng & Elnahass, Marwa, 2023. "Social capital, trust, and bank tail risk: The value of ESG rating and the effects of crisis shocks," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    28. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    29. Kara, Alper & Nanteza, Aziidah & Ozkan, Aydin & Yildiz, Yilmaz, 2022. "Board gender diversity and responsible banking during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Demetriades, Elias & Politsidis, Panagiotis N., 2025. "Bank lending to fossil fuel firms," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    2. repec:hal:journl:hal-04790588 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Elias Demetriades & Panagiotis Politsidis, 2025. "Bank lending to fossil fuel firms," Post-Print hal-04804492, HAL.
    4. Arnone, Massimo & Leogrande, Angelo, 2024. "The Sustainability Of The Factoring Chain In Europe In The Light Of The Integration Of Esg Factors," OSF Preprints 753gf, Center for Open Science.
    5. Fiordelisi, Franco & Ricci, Ornella & Santilli, Gianluca, 2023. "Environmental engagement and stock price crash risk: Evidence from the European banking industry," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    6. M. Kouzez & J. Y. Lee & J. Mahfod-Leroux, 2024. "Investment in ESG activities and bank performance: does bank ownership matter?," Post-Print hal-03859287, HAL.
    7. Vu Quang Trinh & Aly Salama & Teng Li & Ou Lyu & Savvas Papagiannidis, 2023. "Former CEOs chairing the board: does it matter to corporate social and environmental investments?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 1277-1313, November.
    8. Changjun Zheng & Md. Abdul Mannan Khan & Mohammad Morshedur Rahman & Syed Moudud-Ul-Huq & Md. Shahinur Rahman, 2025. "ESG Performance and Financial Stability: A Bibliometric and Meta-Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(4), pages 21582440251, October.
    9. Malik, Mahfuja & Mamun, Khawaja & Osman, Syed Muhammad Ishraque, 2025. "Does corruption control enhance ESG-induced firm value? Insights from machine learning analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    10. repec:osf:osfxxx:753gf_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Yuping Deng & Yanrui Wu & Helian Xu, 2020. "Political Connections and Firm Pollution Behaviour: An Empirical Study," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(4), pages 867-898, April.
    12. Muchenje, Linda Tinofirei & Coupe, Tom & Dang, Huong Dieu, 2025. "Credit development and ESG performance: Cross-country evidence," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    13. Halit Gonenc & Bert Scholtens, 2019. "Responsibility and Performance Relationship in the Banking Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-49, June.
    14. Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Tarazi, Amine, 2024. "ESG activity and bank lending during financial crises," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    15. Manos, Ronny & Finger, Maya & Boukai, Haim, 2024. "Self-regulation for responsible banking and ESG disclosure scores: Is there a link?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    16. Trinks, Arjan & Mulder, Machiel & Scholtens, Bert, 2020. "An Efficiency Perspective on Carbon Emissions and Financial Performance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    17. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    18. Li, WeiWei & Padmanabhan, Prasad & Huang, Chia-Hsing, 2024. "ESG and debt structure: Is the nature of this relationship nonlinear?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    19. Gillan, Stuart L. & Koch, Andrew & Starks, Laura T., 2021. "Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    20. Mihail K. Miletkov & Viktoriya Staneva, 2025. "Financing a Sustainable Future: The Diverging Effects of Equity and Credit Market Development on Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 201(3), pages 735-757, October.
    21. Ved Dilip Beloskar & S. V. D. Nageswara Rao, 2023. "Did ESG Save the Day? Evidence From India During the COVID-19 Crisis," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 30(1), pages 73-107, March.
    22. Ayadi, Imen & Abderrahman, Jahmane, 2025. "The impact of economic policy uncertainty and digital integration on ESG practices in European companies," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:finlet:v:85:y:2025:i:pa:s1544612325011973. 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.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    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.