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Effect of COVID‐19 on the performance of Islamic and conventional GCC banks

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Listed:
  • Yomna Abdulla
  • Yousif Ebrahim

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of the COVID‐19 crisis on the performance of 49 listed banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, during the period from the first quarter of 2017 through the third quarter of 2020. The findings reveal that GCC banks were negatively affected by the pandemic. However, Islamic banks have performed better than conventional banks. The results also show that the banks in Saudi Arabia and UAE were affected more than the banks in other GCC countries. We also show that Islamic banks which are government‐linked, those that are large and those with high loan ratios were more affected by the pandemic. Overall, we argue that Islamic banks can play a significant role in the recovery of GCC countries from the consequences of the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Yomna Abdulla & Yousif Ebrahim, 2022. "Effect of COVID‐19 on the performance of Islamic and conventional GCC banks," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(3), pages 239-258, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:revfec:v:40:y:2022:i:3:p:239-258
    DOI: 10.1002/rfe.1151
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Miroslav Mateev & Muhammad Usman Tariq & Ahmad Sahyouni, 2023. "Efficiency, market concentration and bank performance during the COVID-19 outbreak: Evidence from the MENA region," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(5), pages 1-34, May.
    2. Naima Lassoued & Imen Khanchel & Imen Fakhfakh, 2026. "Does every cloud have a silver lining?The effect of digitalization and government measures on bank efficiency during the pandemic," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 12(1), pages 1-40, December.
    3. Naima Lassoued & Imen Khanchel & Wiem Saidani, 2025. "Comparative Study on the Efficiency of Islamic Banks and Conventional Banks During the COVID-19 Outbreak," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(1), pages 21582440241, January.
    4. Ameni Ghenimi & Hasna Chaibi & Mohamed Ali Omri, 2024. "Risk and performance of Islamic and conventional banks under COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from MENA region," Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 42(4), pages 1788-1804, January.
    5. Miroslav Mateev & Ahmad Sahyouni, 2026. "Corporate governance mechanisms in the banking industry: is there any interplay between ownership concentration and market competition?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 30(1), pages 93-154, March.

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