Overwhelming studies unanimously agreed that preservation of the environment is a central climax in the discourse of green banking. There is a growing interest in exploring green banking practices for fostering financial inclusion, economic growth and sustainable development as part of Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia. There are insufficient studies that examine this in the context of Saudi Arabia. This study aims at exploring the potential of green banking in order to attain sustainable banking and financial inclusion in achieving vision 2030in the country. Qualitative content analysis is used as a methodology of the study. Data were gathered through different sources such as: Web of Science (WOS), related journals, newspapers, published references, research papers, library sources and environmental organizations reports. It is indicated that green banking initiatives can be instrumental in fostering sustainable economic and environmental development in the Kingdom. The paper highlighted various activities of green banking such as: renewable and clean energy, financing green agriculture/food security, high-quality infrastructure among others. Nonetheless, some impediments to the green banking practices such as: risks facing green banks, poor quality of financial services among others are also mentioned in this paper. The paper proffers solutions to the challenges impeding green banking practices. In conclusion, the financial and banking industries in Saudi Arabia has been proving reform of the sector through greening economy. It is there suggested that the stakeholders and policymakers should provide efficient and effective technical, operational legal frameworks for enhancing green economy in achieving Vision 2030 in the country.

This study examines the influence of organizational learning and boundary spanner agility in the bank agent business of Indonesia’s financial inclusion. This study is based on quantitative studies of 325 bank agents in Indonesia. The results of this research strongly show that organizational learning has a significant impact on boundary spanners’ agility to achieve both financial and non-financial performance. This study presents a novel finding that organization learning with a commitment to apply and encourage learning activities and agility with improved responsiveness and resilience boundary spanners can achieve bank agent performance. Organizational learning of bank agents needs to improve commitment to apply and encourage learning activities, always be open to new ideas, and create shared vision and knowledge transfer mechanisms. Organizational agility in bank agents need also to improve the capability to be more responsive and adaptable to culture changes in a volatile environment. This research provides valuable insights to policymakers, banking supervisors, bank top management teams, and researchers on the factors that may improve the effectiveness of the agency banking business to promote financial inclusion. Participating banks in the agent banking business need to set a clear vision, scope, and priority of strategy to encourage organizational learning and agility.

The study’s goal is to evaluate how microfinance initiatives affect women’s empowerment in Bangladesh. For this study, we analyzed data on a variety of women’s empowerment-related issues, including both beneficial and detrimental elements that stand in the way of women’s empowerment. Therefore, in order to accomplish the specified goal, we choose a suitable and intentional methodology. We employ diverse data gathering approaches to examine the gathered data and achieve the primary goal of the research project. It presents the positive effects of microfinance on women, such as (1) the enhancement of women’s authority in financial affairs; and (2) the augmentation of their ability to make decisions in household; and (3) community matters following their participation in the microfinance program. This also provides an analysis of the data pertaining to the adverse effects of microfinance on women. It examines how women encounter various challenges and engage in unethical behaviors after obtaining a loan, leading to heightened levels of stress following their participation in the microfinance program. This study looks into the advantages and disadvantages of Grameen Bank’s microcredit program for women. A questionnaire gathered primary data for this study from women participating in the microfinance program in Gopalgonj. To collect information and comprehend respondent behavior, I used case study, analytical and descriptive study design. Regression analysis, correlation, and percentage are used to examine the data. The findings indicate that women’s decision-making skills have improved due to their financial stability, but they have also experienced increased life challenges and high levels of stress.

The study aimed to demonstrate that Palestinian banks have the potential to increase green financing by enhancing public sector understanding instead of focusing solely on the private sector, in addition to providing insights from employees of Palestinian banks listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange regarding the key challenges and opportunities related to green financing in Palestine specifically. It posed two central questions: What are the opportunities and challenges in implementing green finance in Palestine, and what level of government and private sector support exists? The study used the descriptive analytical approach, through interviews and surveys, the study targeted 10 heads of credit departments and a non-probability sample of 350 bank employees. The findings revealed a strong commitment from the government to promote green finance. At the same time, the private sector showed reluctance to engage in external investments. Key challenges included political instability and limited financial resources, though international aid was a significant opportunity to advance green finance. The study recommended increasing public awareness and fostering stronger coordination between the government and private sector, possibly incorporating competition from neighboring countries to further develop Palestine’s green finance strategy.

While extensive research has explored interconnectedness, volatility spillovers, and risk transmission across financial systems, the comparative dynamics between Islamic and conventional banks during crises, particularly in specific regions such as Saudi Arabia, are underexplored. This study investigates risk transmissions and contagion among banks operating in Islamic and conventional modes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Daily banking stock data spanning November 2018 to November 2023, encompassing two major crises—COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war—were analyzed. Using the frequency TVP-VAR approach, the study reveals that average total connectedness for both banking groups exceeds 50%, with short-run risk transmission dominating over long-term effects. Graphical visualizations highlight time-varying connectedness, driven predominantly by short-run spillovers, with similar patterns observed in both Islamic and conventional banking networks. The main contribution of this paper is the insight that long-term investment strategies are crucial for mitigating potential risks in the Saudi banking system, given its limited diversification opportunities.

To fight inflation, European Central Bank (ECB) announced 10 successive interest rate hikes, starting on 27 July 2022, igniting an unprecedented widening of interest rate spreads in the euro area (ΕΑ). Greek banks, however, recorded among the highest interest rate spreads, far exceeding ΕΑ median and weighted average. Indeed, we document a strong asymmetric response of Greek banks to ECB interest rate hikes, with loan interest rates rising immediately, whilst deposit interest rates remained initially unchanged and then rose sluggishly. As a result, the interest rate spread hit one historical record after another. Greek systemic banks, probably taking advantage of the high concentration and low competition in the domestic sector benefited from key ECB interest rate hikes, recording gigantic increases in net interest income (NII), and consequently, substantial profits (almost €7.4 billion in the 2022–2023 biennium). Such excessive accumulation of profits (that deteriorates the living conditions of consumers) by the banking system could be called the inflation of “banking greed”, or bankflation. This new source of inflation created by the oligopolistic structure of the Greek banking sector counterworks the very reason for ECB interest rate increases and requires certain policy analysis recommendations in coping with it.