Islamic Finance, Dividend Policy, and Performance of Insurance Firms

Abstract

The dissertation investigates the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and dividend policy on the performance of insurance firms. It examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performance of Islamic insurance versus conventional insurance firms in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries. Using Dynamic Capabilities theory and Resource Dependence Theory, the study examines the reasons behind the more significant performance reduction in Islamic insurance firms during the pandemic. Using firm- and country-level panel data from 425 insurance firms for 7 years (2016-2022) and employing different regression models, the analysis focuses on Return of Assets (ROA) and Asset Turnover Ratio as performance measures. The results indicate that Islamic insurance firms exhibited a greater reduction in performance, during the pandemic, compared to conventional firms, primarily due to weaker liquidity management and operational flexibility. Cash from operating activities (COA) was the key factor of lack of liquidity management, contributing to the underperformance of Islamic insurance firms during the pandemic. The findings highlight the need for improved liquidity management approaches in Islamic insurance firms to increase their resilience to future economic shocks. The dissertation also investigates the impact of dividend policy on the performance of 688 insurance firms globally from 2014 to 2022. Employing different econometric models, we find that dividend policy significantly increases both accounting (ROAA) and market (MKTCAP) performance. The findings align with the Dividend Signaling Theory and the Agency Theory of Free Cash Flow, which emphasize that dividend payouts signal a stable financial health and mitigate agency problems. Our findings demonstrate that consistent dividend payments (CONDIV) increase ROAA and MKTCAP by 0.007 and 0.139, respectively, which underlines the importance of consistent dividends. Channel analysis shows that corporate governance board committees, CEO duality, and board gender diversity amplify the positive effect of dividend policy, while larger board size diminishes it. This provides a global understanding of dividend policy significant impact on insurance firm performance. Jointly, the dissertation’s findings provide a complete picture to understand the financial decisions and governance structures that affect the performance of insurance firms during economic shocks such as Covid-19 pandemic and on the global stage.