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This paper aims to develop a conceptual and measurement framework for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure quality in Nigerian banks. It also aims to demonstrate how ESG disclosure quality can be distinguished from ESG disclosure quantity, ESG performance, ESG practices, ESG ratings and sustainability reporting. We employed a conceptual review and framework development approach by synthesising stakeholder theory, institutional theory, Nigerian sustainable banking regulation, international sustainability reporting standards and related banking literature. The materials analysed include the CBN Sustainable Banking Principles, SEC Sustainable Financial Principles, NGX Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines, Nigeria’s IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards adoption roadmap, IFRS S1/S2, GRI, TCFD, PCAF, the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision and literature on ESG disclosure, banking risk, financial stability and disclosure quality. The main findings of the study demonstrate that: (i) ESG disclosure quality is a distinct construct; and (ii) bank ESG disclosure quality should be assessed across environmental, social and governance dimensions. The paper proposes the ESG Disclosure Quality Index framework which provides a graded 0–5 scoring scale and three empirical model specifications for future panel data studies. The framework provides a basis for assessing ESG disclosure quality and examining its relationship with bank-level outcomes in Nigeria and comparable emerging market banking systems.               

Using Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) scores compiled by the Boost Awards international company for 77 UK companies listed on the FTSE100, the paper explores the impact of CSR on companies’ cash and investment decisions. The analysis is based on the system-GMM estimation methodology, spanning the period 2006 to 2023. The empirical analysis provides direct evidence that suggests that CSR award is directly and positively associated with corporate cash holdings, with such awards also having a positive effect on corporate investment decisions. The findings survive certain robustness tests in relevance to the distinction between mature and growth firms, although they are stronger in the case of the growth firms, and an alternative definition of CSR. The findings are highly important for company managers, investors and regulatory authorities. Managers in awarded CSR firms with better investment opportunities hold more cash because financial distress is more costly for their firms. In addition, firms with more cash holdings are less likely to default on their financial obligations, hence this evidence also implies that investors may give priority to invest in such high-performance CSR firms. Regulatory authorities should also consider that CSR activities enhance value of firms’ cash holdings and improve stakeholders’ relations.

This study aims to assess the impact of exposure to Carbon Emission Disclosure (CED) and the level of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions on the valuation of companies operating in the Indonesian banking sector. This in-depth study also evaluates the influence of capital structure and intellectual property assets. In addition, this study explicitly examines how financial performance moderates the relationship between these variables and the company's value. Using a quantitative research method, this analysis observed a sample consisting of banking entities listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2020 to 2024. The theoretical framework underpinning this research comprises Legitimacy Theory, Stakeholder Theory, Signal Theory, Preference Order Theory, and the resource-based view (RBV). The results reveal that transparent disclosure of carbon emissions and the accumulation of intellectual capital positively influence the company's value, while GHG emissions and leverage have adverse effects. Crucially, financial performance (ROA) moderates these relationships by weakening the positive impact of carbon disclosure and buffering the negative impact of GHG emissions but does not significantly moderate the effects of capital structure or intellectual capital. These findings offer practical guidelines for banking management to align environmental sustainability practices with financial strategies to enhance corporate value.