Journal of Applied Finance and Banking 

About: Journal of Applied Finance and Banking is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Stock market & Market liquidity. It has an ISSN identifier of 1792-6580. Over the lifetime, 494 publications have been published receiving 3978 citations.

Financial Inclusion and Financial Sector Stability With Reference To Kenya: A Review of Literature

Abstract: Financial inclusion is a prerequisite to economic development. This has been echoed by international as well as national bodies. Studies have shown that financial exclusion has its roots in social exclusion. This indicates the depth and importance of financial inclusion in creating inclusive development. Numerous studies have revealed levels of financial inclusion with limited studies performed on the impact of financial inclusion initiatives on financial stability. This paper concludes that enhanced measures of financial inclusion which include both access and usage should be applied, since access and usage are not the same but supplementary. Informal financial services should also be included as they play a big role in developing countries.

Comparative Study on Performance of Islamic Banks and Conventional Banks in GCC region

Abstract: Islamic banking is considered as alternative to conventional banking. It focuses on profit/loss and risk sharing, than interest based deposit/lending followed in conventional banking. Conventional Banking cherishes a long history while Islamic banking gained importance in last few decades. The study review and compare performance of conventional banks and Islamic banks operating in GCC region during 2005-10. The study investigates the presence, if any, of similarity in growth of chosen performance indicators of Conventional Banks and Islamic Banks in GCC region. The study selected six Islamic banks and six conventional banks. A comparative study is undertaken based performance indicators such as OER, NPR, ROA, ROE, EOA, operating expense, profit, assets, operating income, deposits and total equity. Inferences based on analysis revealed better performance of Islamic banking during the study period. Our analysis revealed that Islamic banks are more equity financed than conventional banks. ANOVA showed the

Impact of Internal Factors on Bank Profitability: Comparative Study between Saudi Arabia and Jordan

Abstract: This paper investigated the internal factors that affecting profitability of banks. The main objective was to compare the profitability of the Saudi and Jordanian banks by using the internal factors for estimations. The necessary data was collected from secondary sources. A sample of twenty three Saudi and Jordanian banks was considered with 161 observations for the period 2005-2011. Financial ratios were calculated and statistical tools including Pearson’s correlation, descriptive analysis of variance and regression analysis were utilized in testing the hypotheses and to measure the differences and similarities between the sample banks according to their different characteristics. The factors influencing the profitability were tested empirically. However, the results indicated that there is a significant positive correlation between ROA of Saudi banks with TEA, TIA and LQR variables, as well as a negative correlation with NCA, CDR, CIR and SZE variables. Meanwhile, there is a significant positive correlation between ROA of Jordanian banks with LQR, NCA, TEA and CDR variables, also there is a negative correlation of return on assets with CIR, TIA and SZE. It is recommended that empirical studies should be undertaken in the same field to find out what more internal factors could affect profitability of banks.

Determinants of Bank Profitability: Evidence from Syria

Abstract: This study investigates the determinants of bank profitability in the Syrian banking sector. It seeks to identify significant bank-specific, industry-specific, and macroeconomic determinants of bank profitability in Syria. We utilize the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique on unbalanced panel data set the covers the period from 2004 until 2011. The empirical results reveal that profitability persists to a moderate extent. All bank-specific determinants (liquidity risk, credit risk, bank size, and management efficiency) with the exception of bank capital, affect bank profitability significantly. However, no evidence was found in support of the Structure Conduct Performance (SCP) hypothesis, since the concentration ratio found to have no impact on bank profitability. Finally, the study shows that macroeconomic variables (inflation rate and real gross domestic product growth rate) affect bank profitability significantly.

The Market Efficiency of Bitcoin: A Weekly Anomaly Perspective

Abstract: Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency. It is not a legal currency but a private monetary system that manages itself and does not depend on central banks or governments. Since the development of Bitcoin, its trading volume has been increasing largely and rapidly. Some fear the increase in Bitcoin usage as it is quite different from traditional currencies; however, its use is spreading all over the world. This paper examines empirically whether or not weekly price anomalies exist by checking the market efficiency of Bitcoin. The empirical results show that the Bitcoin market is not efficient. However, the empirical results show that Bitcoin transactions are becoming and can become more efficient. The results suggest that Bitcoin returns will be random in the future.JEL classification numbers: E42, E44, E51Keywords: Anomaly, Bitcoin, efficient market