DO INVESTORS GET BENEFITS FROM CORPORATE GREEN SUKUK ISSUANCE

  • Tabassum Riaz School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, and University of the Punjab Jhelum Campus, Jhelum-Pakistan
  • Aslam Izah Selamat School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Normaziah Mohd Nor School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Ahmad Fahmi Sheikh Hassan School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Abstract

This study evaluates whether investors benefit from green sukuk by examining the responses of stock returns to the announcements of corporate green sukuk (green Islamic bonds) issuance. Applying the standard event study methodology, it finds that stock returns respond positively and significantly to the announcements of green sukuk issuance, suggesting that investors perceive and react favorably to the announcement. This significantly positive response is observed both for the individual firm (through CARs) and for a sample of all firms (through CAARs). Thus, it can be concluded that investors benefit from the announcements of green sukuk issuance. Further, this study draws a comparative analysis of investors’ response to the announcements of corporate green sukuk and corporate green bond issuance, and the findings also show that investors respond positively to the announcements of green bond issuances. However, the investors’ response is slightly higher to the announcements of corporate green sukuk issuance compared to corporate green bonds, and the investors get slightly more benefit from green sukuk issuance as compared to green bond issuance.  These finding inform policymakers for the formulation of strategies to attract investors by integrating green bonds with shariah principles to fund environment-friendly projects and consequently mitigate the climate change risk.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This research was funded by University of the Punjab, Lahore-Pakistan under the Overseas Ph.D. Scholarship for faculty members. 

Keywords: Green sukuk, Event study, Abnormal returns.

References

Ahmed, H., Hassan, M. K., & Rayfield, B. (2018). When and why firms issue sukuk? Managerial Finance, 44(6), 774–786.

Ahmed, H., Mobieldin, M., Verbeek, J., & Aboulmagd, F. (2015). On the sustainable development goals and the role of Islamic finance. The World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7266.

http://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/sustainable-development-goals-and-role-islamic-finance

Ammann, M., Fehr, M., & Seiz, R. (2006). New evidence on the announcement effect of convertible and exchangeable bonds. Journal of Multinational Financial Management, 16(1), 43–63.

Ashraf, B. N. (2021). Stock markets’ reaction to Covid-19: Moderating role of national culture. Finance Research Letters, 41(May 2020), 101857.

Azhgaliyeva, D. (2021). Green Islamic Bonds. Asian Development Outlook. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/691951/ado2021bn-green-islamic-bonds.pdf

Baulkaran, V. (2019). Stock market reaction to green bond issuance. Journal of Asset Management, 20(5), 331–340.

Bennett, M. S., & Iqbal, Z. (2013). How socially responsible investing can help bridge the gap between Islamic and conventional financial markets. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 6(3), 211–225.

Dann, L. Y., & Mikkelson, W. H. (1984). Convertible debt issuance, capital structure change and financing-related information. Some new evidence. Journal of Financial Economics, 13(2), 157–186.

Fatica, S., & Panzica, R. (2021). Green bonds as a tool against climate change? Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(5), 2688–2701.

Fernandez-Perez, A., Gilbert, A., Indriawan, I., & Nguyen, N. H. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic and stock market response: A culture effect. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 29, 100454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2020.100454

Flammer, C. (2021). Corporate green bonds. Journal of Financial Economics, 142(2), 499-516.

Glavas, D. (2019). How do stock prices react to green bond issuance announcements? SSRN Electronic Journal, November. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3279069

Godlewski, C. J., Turk-Ariss, R., & Weill, L. (2013). Sukuk vs. conventional bonds: A stock market perspective. Journal of Comparative Economics, 41(3), 745–761.

Hunjra, A. I., Chani, D. M. I., Ijaz, M. S., & Farooq, M. (2014). The impact of macroeconomic variables on stock prices in Pakistan. International Journal of Economics and Empirical Research, 2(1), 13-21.

Ibrahim, Y., & Minai, M. S. (2009). Islamic bonds and the wealth effects: Evidence from Malaysia. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 6(1), 184–191.

Khouildi, M. Y., & Kassim, S. H. (2018). An innovative financing instrument to promote the development of Islamic microfinance through socially responsible investment Sukuk. Journal of Islamic Monetary Economics and Finance, 4(2), 237-250.

Laborda, J., & Sánchez-Guerra, Á. (2021). Green bond finance in Europe and the stock market reaction. Estudios de Economia Aplicada, 39(3), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i3.4125

Lebelle, M., Lajili Jarjir, S., & Sassi, S. (2020). Corporate green bond issuances: An international evidence. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 13(2), 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm13020025

Li, L., & Hu, Z. (1998). Responses of the stock market to macroeconomic announcements across economic states. IMF Working Papers, 98(79), p. 1. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451850178.001

Lyon, T. P., & Maxwell, J. W. (2011). Greenwash: Corporate environmental disclosure under threat of audit. Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, 20(1), 3–41.

Lyon, T. P., & Montgomery, A. W. (2015). The means and end of greenwash. Organization and Environment, 28(2), 223–249.

MacKinlay, A. C. (1997). Event studies in economics and finance. Journal of Economic Literature, 35(1), 13-39.

Mohamed, M., Yahya, N. C., & Ishak, N. A. (2017). Market reactions towards the announcement of sukuk issuance: Evidence from Malaysian market. Jurnal Pengurusan, 49(October), 89–102.

Mohd Roslen, S. N., Yee, L. S., & Binti Ibrahim, S. A. (2017). Green bond and shareholders’ wealth: A multi-country event study. International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 9(1), 61–69.

Muhamad Sori, Z., Mohamad, S., & Al Homsi, M. (2019). View from practice: Stock market reaction to sukuk credit rating changes in Malaysia. Thunderbird International Business Review, 61(5), 659–667.

Obaidullah, M. (2018). Managing climate change: The role of Islamic finance. IES Journal Article, 26(1), 31-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3303687

Pedersen, A., & Thun, J. E. (2019). Stock Market Reaction to Green Bond Announcements. https://openaccess.nhh.no/nhh-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2644200/masterthesis.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1

Pollard, J., & Samers, M. (2007). Islamic banking and finance: Postcolonial political economy and the decentring of economic geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 32(3), 313–330.

Rahim, S. A., & Ahmad, N. (2016). Investigating stock market reactions on sukuk issuance in Malaysia based on Tenures. IOSR Journal of Economics and Finance (IOSR-JEF), 7(3), 83–89.

Responsible Finance Institute (RFI). (2018). Environmental Impact in Islamic Finance.

Rethel, L. (2011). Whose legitimacy? Islamic finance and the global financial order. Review of International Political Economy, 18(1), 75–98.

Riley, J. G. (1979). Informational equilibrium. Econometrica, 47(2), 331-359.

Sharpe, W. F. (1964). Capital asset prices: A theory of market equilibrium under conditions of risk. The Journal of Finance, 19(3), 425–442.

Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling author. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.

Tang, D. Y., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Do shareholders benefit from green bonds?. Journal of Corporate Finance, 61, 101427.

United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). (2017). At the Intersection of Islamic Finance and Responsible Investment. https://www.unpri.org/download?ac=1887

Verma, R. K., & Bansal, R. (2023). Stock market reaction on green-bond issue: Evidence from Indian green-bond issuers. Vision, 27(2), 264-272.

Visser, H. (2013). Islamic finance: Principles and practice. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Wang, C. W., Wu, Y. C., Hsieh, H. Y., Huang, P. H., & Lin, M. C. (2022). Does green bond issuance have an impact on climate risk concerns? Energy Economics, 111(July), 106066.

Wang, J., Chen, X., Li, X., Yu, J., & Zhong, R. (2020). The market reaction to green bond issuance: Evidence from China. Pacific Basin Finance Journal, 60(February), 101294.

World Bank. (2020). Pioneering the Green Sukuk: Three Years On. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34569

Wu, Y. (2022). Are green bonds priced lower than their conventional peers ? Emerging Markets Review, 52, 100909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2022.100909

Zhou, X., & Cui, Y. (2019). Green bonds, corporate performance, and corporate social responsibility. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(23), 6881. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236881

PlumX Metrics

Published
2024-08-30
How to Cite
Riaz, T., Selamat, A. I., Nor, N. M., & Hassan, A. F. S. (2024). DO INVESTORS GET BENEFITS FROM CORPORATE GREEN SUKUK ISSUANCE. Journal of Islamic Monetary Economics and Finance, 10(3), 445-470. https://doi.org/10.21098/jimf.v10i3.1944
Section
Articles