Determinants of Credit Risk: A Comparative Analysis between Islamic and Conventional Banks in Bangladesh

The paper investigates the determinants of credit risk of Islamic and conventional banks in Bangladesh. In so doing, it collects data from 30 private commercial banks comprising of seven Islamic banks and 23 conventional banks for the period 2001–2018. Collected data are analyzed using GMM estimation technique. This method is perceived to be robust because it reduces the endogeneity problem that exists in the panel data set. Analysis of data shows that among the macro-economic variables, GDP growth decreases credit risk, whereas real interest rate and inflation increase credit risk. Bank-specific variables prove that both clusters of banks suffer from adverse selection and moral hazard problems. Results also indicate that competition has a risk-enhancing effect on banks, which supports the competition-fragility nexus. Further analysis shows that board size and board independence affect the credit risk of both clusters of banks. Findings of this study suggest some policy implications from macro, bank and governance perspectives. Specifically, banks should adopt ‘speed limit’ policy to reduce the poor quality loan. Also, competition in the banking industry should be regulated. Finally, central bank should maintain uniform capital adequacy ratio for both clusters of banks. Although this study is limited to private commercial banks in Bangladesh, the results can be generalized for other emerging economies.