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Corporate governance refers to the relationship present between the corporation and the stakeholders that determines and controls the strategic direction and performance of the corporation. Good corporate governance should provide adequate incentives for the board and management to pursue objectives that are in the interests of the company and shareholders, thereby encouraging firms to use resources more efficiently. However, the definition of accountability differs between conventional and Islamic Banks. Islam was made accountable not only to stakeholders, but also to Allah, the ultimate owner and authority. These powerful moral ethics help in promoting fair, just and honest business dealing. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between corporate governance structures and the resultant financial performance of listed Islamic banks of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in Bangladesh. The panel time series data were collected for the time period of 6 years (2009-2014) from all the listed Islamic banks to run an Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression model to examine whether the existing corporate governance mechanisms as well as several other internal and external indicators are significant in influencing the financial performance. Preliminary findings suggest corporate governance mechanisms in Islamic banks are not quite as strong as they should be, hinting at possible market and management inefficiencies.

Islamic finance is a growing industry with global distribution in all continents including Europe and America. The aim of the current study was to examine how popular is Islamic finance in the USA during the period 2014-2019 using Google Trends. In addition, the interest in Islamic finance across different US states was also investigated. Using “Islamic finance” and “Islamic bank” as search terms in Goggle Trends, the trend curve showed decreases in search volumes, suggesting a decline in the popularity of Islamic finance in the USA with years. Search volumes were detected in seven out of 50 states, suggesting low interest in Islamic finance in the majority of US states. The order of the popularity in the seven states was: Virginia > New York > New Jersey > Illinois > Texas > California > Pennsylvania > Georgia > Florida > Massachusetts. Longitudinal survey studies are needed to confirm the present findings.

The positive of impact of market orientation toward business performance of a company is a common wisdom in the marketing literatures. Hence the prior studies recommend that the connection will depend on other strategic actions. In this regards, this study tries to assess the construct of business ethics as the precedent of market orientation in the context of Indonesia Islamic banks. Upon assessing data using SmartPLS, this study finds that market orientation is the determinant of business performance and Islamic business ethics is the precedent of market orientation. However, market orientation is not effective as the mediator in the relationship between Islamic business ethics and business performance. The discussion of this finding is provided as well as the managerial implication at the end of this paper.

The application of sharia principles in banking, which does not involve the elements of interest (riba), betting (qimar), and uncertainty (gharar) is unique and draws attention, resulting in an increase in popularity of this type of banking. Financing products have also emerged with a variety of services. Although Islamic banking does not involve those three elements, it is still faced with the risk of disbursed financing. This issue is important to observe considering its relationship with growth and competitiveness in the banking industry. Credit risk that arises can be caused by two factors, including unsystematic and systematic factors or those that cannot be eliminated or controlled. Several previous studies have described the elements that can put a bank’s credit at risk, particularly in the case of Islamic banking. Therefore, this research using a literature study aimed to classify factors that can indicate credit risk, both systematic and unsystematic in Islamic banking.

This research was conducted to determine the effect of mudharabah and musharakah financing on net profit of Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia. This study uses the annual financial statements of Islamic commercial banks obtained from the Financial Services Authority and annual reports on the website of Islamic commercial banks for the period 2010-2019. The test results found that mudharabah financing had a significant effect on the net profit of Islamic banks, this also strengthened Islamic social responsibility of Islamic commercial banks. But unlike mudharabah financing, musharakah financing actually has a negative effect on the net profit of Islamic commercial banks, which means that the higher the Islamic bank distributes musharakah financing, the rate of profit will decrease which results in the weakening of Islamic social responsibility disclosure. It is recommended that Islamic banks exercise greater caution when selecting consumers for mudharabah financing, as this type of financing carries a higher risk but also a higher profit share if the financing is successful. This research has a limitation in that it focuses exclusively on Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia, although additional research might be conducted by sampling Sharia Business Unit and Sharia Rural Bank.

This study examines whether Islamic banks in SSA exhibit convergence in operational efficiency or whether performance disparities persist over time. Specifically, it evaluates whether less efficient banks catch up with more efficient peers within the region’s emerging Islamic banking sector. The study adopts a two-stage empirical framework using panel data from 35 Islamic banks across SSA over the period 2010–2024. In the first stage, operational efficiency scores are estimated using a bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model following the Simar and Wilson two-stage approach. An input-oriented specification under Variable Returns to Scale (VRS) is employed to reflect cost minimization behaviour and heterogeneity in bank size. Bias correction is implemented using a bootstrap procedure to obtain consistent efficiency estimates. In the second stage, convergence dynamics are analysed using sigma (σ) and beta (β) convergence models, alongside conditional convergence regressions incorporating bank size, age, and market concentration. The results reveal significant β-convergence, with the baseline model yielding a coefficient of −0.267 (p < 0.01), while the conditional model confirms robust convergence (β = −0.2836, p < 0.01), indicating that banks with lower initial efficiency improve at a faster rate than more efficient institutions, consistent with catch-up dynamics. However, σ-convergence results show that efficiency dispersion declined between 2010 and 2019 but increased after 2020, indicating that convergence was time-varying rather than uniform. This suggests that while convergence forces exist, structural differences and external shocks continue to sustain efficiency gaps across banks. The findings highlight the need for stronger regulatory harmonization, improved financial infrastructure, and targeted capacity-building initiatives to accelerate efficiency convergence across Islamic banks in SSA.

This study examines the effect of Good Corporate Governance (GCG), financing quality, Islamic Corporate Social Responsibility (ICSR), and operational efficiency on the financial performance of Islamic Commercial Banks (Bank Umum Syariah/BUS) in Indonesia using a quantitative explanatory approach with panel data regression analysis. The research focuses on 14 Islamic Commercial Banks registered with the Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan/OJK) over the 2019–2024 period, resulting in 84 firm-year observations selected through purposive sampling based on the availability of complete annual reports. Financial performance is proxied by Return on Assets (ROA), while GCG is measured using governance indicators disclosed in annual reports, financing quality is represented by Non-Performing Financing (NPF), ICSR is measured using an ICSR disclosure index, and operational efficiency is proxied by the BOPO ratio. The analysis was conducted using EViews version 13. The empirical results show that Good Corporate Governance has a positive and statistically significant effect on financial performance, indicating that stronger governance practices contribute to higher profitability. Financing quality does not exhibit a significant effect on ROA. Conversely, Islamic Corporate Social Responsibility and operational efficiency have a negative and statistically significant effect on financial performance, suggesting that higher operational inefficiency and CSR-related costs may reduce short-term profitability. Overall, this study contributes to the Islamic banking literature by providing empirical evidence on key determinants of financial performance in Islamic Commercial Banks and highlights the importance of strengthening governance practices, improving operational efficiency, and managing ICSR programs more strategically to balance social objectives with long-term financial sustainability, while offering insights for regulators and stakeholders in reinforcing governance frameworks and optimizing Islamic value-based social responsibility.

Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to examine the banking preferences of Kuwaiti university students, their preferences between Islamic and conventional, the reasons supporting their choice and, as a measure of satisfaction, the likelihood of them recommending their bank to their friends and family. Design/methodology/approach: We conduct a short survey among undergraduates using a 4-item paper questionnaire physically distributed and collected at a Kuwaiti business school. The large response (n= 503) is analysed and descriptive statistics used to present the results Findings: Results indicate a majority prefer Islamic banking and that the main reason for this is their religion. Those students who opted for conventional banks gave social reasons such as recommendation for their choice. A higher level of satisfaction was recorded for Islamic banking customers. We conclude that Islamic banks have managed to match their ethical and religious appeal with the delivery of efficient and convenient banking services that are valued by the student segment. Practical Implications: Our results are of interest to those offering retail banking services in binary markets where conventional banks compete with Islamic banks in addition to researchers in this domain. For Islamic banks, the significance of maintaining a strong reputation with the underpinning of robust Shariah principles is emphasized. Originality: The paper contributes fresh understanding to the acceptance of and satisfaction with Islamic banks and their products and services among a strategically important segment. It provides evidence suggesting a bright future for Islamic banking in Kuwait and the wider Gulf region.

As a main characteristic of Islamic banks, profit-sharing financing (PsF) has an actual influence on driving the economy in the real sector. A PsF using mudharabah and musyarakah contract is mostly channeled to fund productive businesses. This study tries to find out how the Islamic bank performance reflected by credit risk, profit-sharing rate, and liquidity can increase the PsF growth in Islamic banks. Using a quantitative approach through regression analysis, this study analyzed the impact arising from the improved credit risk, profit-sharing rate, and liquidity on the growth of PsF. The data used is secondary data obtained from statistics on Islamic banking in Indonesia (ranging from the 1st quarter of 2015 to the 4thquarter of 2021). The findings revealed that the Islamic bank performances as represented by credit risk, profit-sharing rate, and liquidity can be an indicator of growth of PsF. A low profit-sharing rate, credit risk, and liquidity risk will encourage PsF growth.

The main contribution to the income of Islamic Rural Banks (IRBs) comes from financing provided where there are two financing schemes consisting of profit-sharing financing (musyarakah and mudharabah) and profit margin financing (murabahah). The main purpose of this study is to analyze the financing scheme that affects the bank's profitability. This study will also analyze the effect of Islamic bank performance on profitability. Financial performance that is thought to have an effect on profitability is the capital adequacy ratio (CAR), financing to deposit ratio (FDR), non-performing financing (NPF), operating expense to operating income ratio (OEIR), third-party funds (TPF) and bank size (SIZE). The population in this study were 165 BPRS in Indonesia with a sample of 100 BPRS. Observation period for 4 years (2018-2021) with quarterly data. This study uses a panel data regression analysis to test the hypothesis. After being tested with Chow-test and Hausman-test, the best model from panel data regression was the fixed effect model. The results of the research showed that profit-sharing financing (PSF) and SIZE have a positive and significant effect on profitability while profit margin financing (PMF), CAR and FDR have no effect on profitability. On the other hand, financial performance which has a significant negative effect is NPF, OEIR and TPF, while CAR and FDR has a significant positive effect.