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The Impact of Fintech on the Stability of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Banks

Author

Listed:
  • Aisha Mohammad Afzal

    (Accounting and Finance Department, College of Business, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha 24449, Qatar)

  • Bashar Abu Khalaf

    (Accounting and Finance Department, College of Business, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha 24449, Qatar)

  • Maryam Saad Al-Naimi

    (Accounting and Finance Department, College of Business, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha 24449, Qatar)

  • Enas Samara

    (Finance Department, Graduate School of Business, The National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of financial technology (Fintech) on bank stability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Utilizing panel data from 94 banks in 10 countries over a 13-year period from 2011 to 2023, this research employs panel GMM regression to examine the relationship between the level of Fintech adoption, as measured by the Fintech index, and a bank’s stability. This paper controls for bank characteristics (efficiency, profitability, size, liquidity risk, and dividend payout ratio) and macroeconomic variables (GDP growth and inflation). The Fintech index is calculated using data text mining from the banks’ annual reports. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence of the positive effects of Fintech adoption in the MENA banking sector. The positive findings underscore the transformative impact of Fintech on banking stability, highlighting the importance of technological integration in MENA’s financial institutions for growth, stability, and effective strategies. The robustness of the results regression confirmed that our findings hold.

Suggested Citation

  • Aisha Mohammad Afzal & Bashar Abu Khalaf & Maryam Saad Al-Naimi & Enas Samara, 2025. "The Impact of Fintech on the Stability of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Banks," Risks, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jrisks:v:13:y:2025:i:6:p:106-:d:1667690
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mild, Andreas & Waitz, Martin & Wöckl, Jürgen, 2015. "How low can you go? — Overcoming the inability of lenders to set proper interest rates on unsecured peer-to-peer lending markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1291-1305.
    2. Finlay, Steven, 2011. "Multiple classifier architectures and their application to credit risk assessment," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 210(2), pages 368-378, April.
    3. Peterson K. Ozili, 2019. "Non-performing loans and financial development: new evidence," Journal of Risk Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(1), pages 59-81, January.
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