Banks' Income Diversification and Performance During Pre and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: This study examines the performance of Conventional and Islamic banks, focusing on income diversification, capital adequacy, and sensitivity to interest rate changes during the COVID-19 period (before and after). Design/Methodology: The study examined a dataset comprising 37 banks across Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar, for the data period from 2012 to 2021. The study employed the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model to assess the impact of these factors on the comparative performance of both conventional and Islamic Banks Findings: . The findings show that Islamic banks have greater benefits from diversification in comparison to conventional banks. Also, having strong capital adequacy contributes to better performance and results in strong resilience during crisis periods. On the other hand, conventional banks have more impact from interest rate fluctuations, which impact their activities, especially interest-based earnings. The study further found that non-performing loans negatively affect the bank's performance in both conventional and Islamic banks. The study uses several robustness techniques to validate the results and applied models, such as using bank size as a control variable and using a COVID-19 period dummy to differentiate between crises and non-crisis periods. Implications: The study found that Islamic banks were more resilient during crisis periods, offering valuable insights for investors, bank managers, and policymakers seeking to enhance financial stability.