studies of perfomrance of banks in the GCC

The development of service sector is crucial in contributing to the GDP of any nation. The banking system plays a key role in the development of a country. The commercial banking system dominates the financial sector by dealing with the majority of financial transactions of a country. The existence of Islamic and conventional banks has contributed for the development of the economy. Commercial banks in Bahrain consist of interest-based conventional banks and interest-free Islamic banks (based on Islamic shariah). The performance of conventional and non-conventional banks is satisfactory in Bahrain. The present study focuses on the comparative analysis of financial performance of Islamic and conventional banks in terms of cost and income in Bahrain. The study uses financial tools like profitability, liquidity and solvency, commitment to economy and community, efficiency and productivity of both streams of banks.

Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to extend the literature by simultaneously investigating the relationship between risk, efficiency and capital in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) dual banking system.

Design/methodology/approach
The study employs the simultaneous-equation modeling technique with a three-stage least square estimator on 60 listed GCC commercial banks from 2005 through 2018.

Findings
Although GCC Islamic banks are more capitalized and liquid, they are riskier and less efficient than GCC conventional banks. Moreover, a higher level of capital reduces the insolvency and credit risk of GCC banks for both types of banks. However, it enhances the cost efficiency of GCC conventional banks only. GCC conventional banks also exhibit skimping behavior, while for GCC Islamic banks, cost efficiency is negatively associated with bank risk. This implies that the risk-taking behavior in Islamic banks is prompted by the incentives of the shareholders following the risk-sharing nature of Islamic banking.

Originality/value
This study differs from previous studies in many aspects. First, it relies on a recent long data set that covers the implementation of the accords of Basel II (introduced in 2004) and Basel III (introduced in 2010). Second, it estimates the efficiency of GCC banks based on separate frontiers for Islamic and conventional banks, ensuring the robustness of the results. In conclusion, to the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the intertemporal relationship between risk, efficiency and capital in the GCC dual banking industry.