Business dynamics, efficiency, asset quality and stability: The case of financial intermediaries in Pakistan

This research is aimed at assessing the possible differences in business dynamics, cost efficiency, asset quality and financial stability of conventional, Shariah compliant banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) in Pakistan, using an unbalanced panel between 2005 and 2013. Theoretically, these three financial intermediaries should demonstrate differences in various business attributes. However, we observe fewer than expected differences between conventional and Islamic banks. We report that Islamic banks have superior asset quality and financial stability than conventional banks. However, certain similarities are present in their respective business models. On the contrary, NBFIs demonstrate differences in business dynamics, with high fee based income and non-deposit funding, as compared to conventional banks. Due to higher business risk and variance in profitability, we find that NBFIs are financially more fragile, irrespective of their stronger capitalization, as compared to commercial banks.