Evaluating Banking Efficiency in Kuwait --A Pre and Post Recession Perspective

This paper studies banking efficiency from a Kuwaiti banking sector perspective. This will be accomplished by comparing and analysing the efficiency of Kuwaiti banking operations before and after the International Financial Crisis. Traditional and Islamic banks will be taken into consideration. The overall goal of this inquiry is to determine whether the efficiency of Kuwaiti banks has improved and why. Internal and external influences on Kuwaiti banking efficiency will be examined as well. Methods of work performed by bank managers and policy makers in Kuwait contributing to banking operations efficiency will be considered as well.

Combination Patterns and Depositional Characteristics of Ordovician Carbonate Banks in the Western Tarim Basin,China

The combination patterns and depositional characteristics of the carbonate banks are investigated based on outcrop sections, thin sections, and carbon isotopes of Ordovician in the western Tarim Basin, China. Four carbonate bank combination patterns are deposited in the Ordovician, western Tarim Basin, including： Reef-Bank Complex （RBC）, Algae-Reef-Bank Interbed （ARBI）, Thick-Layer Cake Aggradation Bank （TLCAB）, and Thin-Layer Cake Retrogradation Bank （TLCRB）. All combination patterns show clear periods vertically. The RBC is mainly composed of reefs and bioclastic banks, and the dimension of the RBC depends on the scale of the reefs. Bioclastic banks deposits surround the reefs. The range of the ARBI is determined by the scale of algae-reefs, algae peloid dolomite microfacies and algal dolomite microfacies deposit alternating vertically. TLCAB and TLCRB are deposited as layer-cakes stacking in cycles and extending widely with cross bedding developed. The grains of TLCAB and TLCRB are diverse and multi-source. With the impacting of relative sea level change, biological development and geomorphology, the ARBI, TLCAB or TLCRB, RBC are successively developed from the Lower Ordovician Penglaiba Formation to the Middle Ordovician Yijianfang Formation. The depositional environment analysis of Ordovician indicates that the RBC and ARBI can form effective oil and gas reservoirs, and the TLCAB and TLCRB have the potential to form the huge scale oil and gas reservoirs and to be the crucial targets of exploration for the Ordovician carbonate banks in the future.

Research on the Impact of the Digital Transformation of Commercial Banks

The development of the digital economy has presented both opportunities and challenges for the transformation of commercial banks.This article aims to conduct a literature review on the impact of digital transformation on commercial banks and to explore the multi-dimensional effects it brings.Through a review and analysis of relevant domestic and international literature,this paper first defines the connotation of digital transformation in commercial banks.It then conducts a literature analysis and research on the strategic governance,business performance,and risk management aspects of the digital transformation of commercial banks from multiple perspectives.Based on the analysis of the existing literature,the paper explores directions for future in-depth research and offers corresponding policy suggestions,providing a theoretical and practical foundation for the future digital development of commercial banks.

Time series prediction of reservoir bank landslide failure probability considering the spatial variability of soil properties

Historically,landslides have been the primary type of geological disaster worldwide.Generally,the stability of reservoir banks is primarily affected by rainfall and reservoir water level fluctuations.Moreover,the stability of reservoir banks changes with the long-term dynamics of external disastercausing factors.Thus,assessing the time-varying reliability of reservoir landslides remains a challenge.In this paper,a machine learning(ML)based approach is proposed to analyze the long-term reliability of reservoir bank landslides in spatially variable soils through time series prediction.This study systematically investigated the prediction performances of three ML algorithms,i.e.multilayer perceptron(MLP),convolutional neural network(CNN),and long short-term memory(LSTM).Additionally,the effects of the data quantity and data ratio on the predictive power of deep learning models are considered.The results show that all three ML models can accurately depict the changes in the time-varying failure probability of reservoir landslides.The CNN model outperforms both the MLP and LSTM models in predicting the failure probability.Furthermore,selecting the right data ratio can improve the prediction accuracy of the failure probability obtained by ML models.

Development of E-banking channels and market share in developing countries

There is fierce global competition within the banking industry.Therefore,banks endeavor to grow and strive to increase their market share.We analyzed the effect of developing innovative channels of presenting bank services on banks’market share.The statistical population of this research was Shahr bank’s central headquarter and its branches in Tehran,Iran.We developed questionnaires for gathering the data.The validity and reliability of the scales were tested by EFA,CFA,experts’opinion,and Cronbach’s alpha.We used linear regression to assess the impact of innovative channels,including internet banking,automatic teller machines(ATMs),mobile banking,telephone banking(TB),and point of sales(POS)on banks’market share.The results indicated that some of these channels,including internet banking,POS,and TB,positively affect a bank’s market share.The effect of two other platforms,including mobile banking and ATM development,on banks’market share was rejected.The findings of this study expand our understanding of how bank managers can improve their market share by developing innovative e-banking channels.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of seed rain and soil seed bank of artificial Caragana korshinskii Kom. forest in the Tengger Desert, China

Vegetation restoration and reconstruction are effective approaches to desertification control and achieving social and economic sustainability in desert areas.However,the self-succession ability of native plants during the later periods of vegetation restoration remains unclear.Therefore,this study was conducted to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating the regeneration dynamics of artificial forest under natural conditions.The information of seed rain and soil seed bank was collected and quantified from an artificial Caragana korshinskii Kom.forest in the Tengger Desert,China.The germination tests were conducted in a laboratory setting.The analysis of species quantity and diversity in seed rain and soil seed bank was conducted to assess the impact of different durations of sand fixation(60,40,and 20 a)on the progress of vegetation restoration and ecological conditions in artificial C.korshinskii forest.The results showed that the top three dominant plant species in seed rain were Echinops gmelinii Turcz.,Eragrostis minor Host.,and Agropyron mongolicum Keng.,and the top three dominant plant species in soil seed bank were E.minor,Chloris virgata Sw.,and E.gmelinii.As restoration period increased,the density of seed rain and soil seed bank increased first and then decreased.While for species richness,as restoration period increased,it gradually increased in seed rain but decreased in soil seed bank.There was a positive correlation between seed rain density and soil seed bank density among all the three restoration periods.The species similarity between seed rain or soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation decreased with the extension of restoration period.The shape of the seeds,specifically those with external appendages such as spines and crown hair,clearly had an effect on their dispersal,then resulting in lower seed density in soil seed bank.In addition,precipitation was a crucial factor in promoting rapid germination,also resulting in lower seed density in soil seed bank.Our findings provide valuable insights for guiding future interventions during the later periods of artificial C.korshinskii forest,such as sowing and restoration efforts using unmanned aerial vehicles.

Research on Early Warning of Banking Crises from the Perspective of Credit Structures

The relationship between credit expansion and banking crises is complex and cannot be fully explained by total credit alone.A systematic analysis of the relationship between the amount and structure of total credit and banking crises is important for an objective prediction of the influence of potential financial risks.This paper,drawing on data from 15 selected countries,delves into the power of credit indicators in the early warning of banking crises from the perspectives of industrial structure,sector structure,and term structure of credit.Various machine learning methods were used,including Logistic Regression,Random Forest,Decision Tree,Support Vector Machine(SVM),Bagging,and Boosting models.The empirical findings indicate that credit expansion plays a crucial role in triggering banking crises.However,total credit is better suited for the early warning of short-term banking crises,whereas credit structure is more useful for the early warning of long-term banking crises.Moreover,in an early warning system,identifying key early warning indicators is more meaningful than merely increasing the number of indicators.Machine learning can somewhat enhance the early warning power,but it may not always be robust.Therefore,more attention should be paid to potential systemic banking crises resulting from an imbalance in credit structure while regulating the total credit threshold.

The Impact of the Monetary Policy During the COVID-19 in the Brazilian Banking Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an outbreak on the global productive chains,transforming companies and society in general.Governments adopted anticyclical policies such as basic interest rates reduction as response.Brazil basic interest rate is denominated Selic.The application of these policies requires the protagonist of bank’s financial intermediation.This study aims to verify two events-under the perspective of the efficient markets’theory.The first is the communication of the first death by COVID-19-and the subsequent,Selic rate reduction to 2%p.a.-and its effects on bank’s shares prices.The hypotheses presented are:H1-The announcement of the first death by COVID-19 negatively impacts the banks’shares returns and H2-The announcement of the Selic interest rate-during the COVID-19-positively impacts the return of the banks’shares.We adopt event study methodology in a final sample of nine and 15 banks to Events 1 and 2 respectively.The results confirm H1 as well as the semi-strong informational efficiency market.H2 is not confirmed.Results confirm the non-effectiveness of the anticyclical policy of basic interest rate reduction.This contributes to the discussion about the impacts of COVID-19 and the efficacy of anticyclical policies.

Impacts of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Banking Activities in Conakry

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all professional sectors to varying degrees. It has forced companies to restructure, initiate and promote telework. The aim was to study the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on banking activities in Conakry. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study over seven months (from November 25, 2020 to June 27, 2021) and multicentric. It included thirteen of the eighteen banks of the main city of the capital Conakry (Kaloum). We analysed socio-demographic data and occupational characteristics. We paid particular attention to banking activities and medical datas. Results: During our study period, 875 workers met to our criteria, one third of whom were men. The average age was 37.93 ± 9.39 years [22 - 71]. Financial accounters were the most represented and average seniority at the job was 5.35 years. The work schedule was reduced during lockdown but an telework increased (29.8%). On the medical datas, the prevalence of COVID-19 was 20.7%;the lethality rate was 0.6% and the absentee rate 15.6%. The COVID-19 lockdown has deeply impacted the banking activities in Conakry particularly the productivity by a significant decrease in net banking income. Conclusion: Despite the continuity of activities during this pandemic, banks have experienced a reduction in their productivity resulting in a significant decrease in net banking income. These impacts of COVID-19 on the banking sector reflect its impact on the national economy.

GHG Emissions of Italian Unlisted Firms and Bank Debt

In this paper I investigate the effect of the greenhouse gas emissions of a sample of 478 Italian unlisted firms on their bank debt,in the context of the growing attention and awareness for climate change issue.My findings show that unlisted firms generating low levels of greenhouse gas emissions borrow less long-term,short term,and total bank debt than unlisted firms generating high levels of greenhouse gas emissions,to finance their growth opportunities.Being the first work analyzing this topic,to the best of my knowledge,further empirical research could also investigate the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the bank financing of unlisted firms of different countries,representing specific cultural and political approaches towards climate change problems.

多核共享缓存bank冲突分析及其延迟最小化

在硬实时多核系统中,共享资源冲突的问题为硬实时任务的最差情况下执行时间(WCET)分析带来了新挑战.虽然现有的共享缓存冲突分析技术在storage冲突方面已取得研究进展,但对于bank冲突而言,现有研究仍局限于通过界定bank冲突延迟上限来分析和处理bank冲突.该文通过优化核-bank映射关系来使硬实时多核系统中的bank冲突延迟最小化,即在对bank冲突延迟进行分析的基础上,首先通过优化核-bank之间的映射关系来消除bank冲突;若无法消除,则需要寻找能使bank冲突延迟最小化的核-bank映射关系解,并为此设计了一种基于多核总线请求时间序列的bank冲突延迟求解算法.最后,文中设计了能够对总线访问延迟进行消重的多核硬实时任务WCET估算方法.实验结果表明:文中所提的优化方法可消除这类bank冲突或使其延迟最小化,文中所提的WCET估算方法与现有估算方法相比可获得更精确的最差情况下执行时间(WCET).

Italian Banking Sector and Value Creation

The finn value is the fundamental topic of corporate finance. The value creation is the aim of economic initiatives, strategies, corporate policies, and all business activities, including banking. It depends, among other things, on size, legal form, and business model. Therefore, this paper wants to demonstrate and explain the differences about the value created in the Italian banking sector, where there is much diversity regarding size, legal form, and business model. This paper estimated and compared the value of Italian listed companies from 2010 to 2012 and found the result： Banks create more value if they are big and operate in investment banking. Furthermore, it proved that legal form hasn＇t influenced performance and value of banks.

Heterogeneity in Soil Seed Banks in a Mediterranean Coastal Sand Dune

Characteristics of total soil seed banks and permanent soil seed banks in three microhabitats in a Mediterranean coastal sand dune were investigated by using natural germination method combined with physically scanning separation method. The composition and structure of soil seed banks were analyzed between the microhabitats by using functional group method. The distribution patterns of soil seed bank were also analyzed between the microhabitats. We also analyzed the relationship between seed size and seed persistence in soil. The results show greatly spatial heterogeneity existed in soil seed bank of the Mediterranean coastal sand dune, even in the same microhabitats seed distribution was uneven. Sometimes a great difference occurred between them. Microhabitats significantly affected the distribution patterns of total soil seed banks and seed banks of the functional groups. The open area generally had the greater densities of seeds, but the seed densities under shrub and in trail were lower than that in the open area. Legumes seeds accounted for 76.0% total persistent seed banks. Annual and perennial grasses produced transient seed banks as no seeds were retrieved from the sieved soils. Seed persistence of legumes, umbeliferaes, perennial forbs, compositaes, annual forbs, crucifer decreased gradually. They were 50.1%, 45.6%, 40.6%, 6.3%, 5.6% and 0.6% respectively in the soil. There was a positive relationship between seed size and seed persistence. Bigger seeds had higher persistence, and vice versa.

ISO Certification and Technical Efficiency in the Banking Sector:An Evidence from WAEMU’s Countries Using the DEA Method

In the view of the international organization of standardization,the introduction of ISO standards is typical of quality management systems oriented towards strengthening the efficiency of enterprises.Business banks are not excluded from this requirement.The current study aims to evaluate the effect of ISO certification on the technical performance of WAEMU banks.Using BCEAO data(2020),the DEA model and Tobit estimates show that ISO certification has no effect on the efficiency scores of the banks in the sample.It is therefore appropriate for these banks to work on improving their business climate.

Research on Career Development Paths and Incentive Model Design for Middle Managers in Banks

With the rapid development of financial technology,middle managers in banks face both new challenges and opportunities.This paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the current state and issues surrounding the career development of middle managers in banks and explores effective incentive model designs and implementation strategies.Employing both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods,the study assesses the practical impact of various incentive models.Through case analysis,targeted improvement suggestions are proposed.The findings reveal that a well-designed incentive mechanism significantly enhances middle managers’job satisfaction and loyalty,which is essential for the sustained growth of banks.

Research on the Impact of Digital Transformation on the Business Performance of Commercial Banks

Nowadays,with the development of the digital economy,commercial banks are actively conducting digital transformation.Studying the impact of the digital transformation of commercial banks on their operating performance can help commercial banks form a stronger core competitiveness and promote high-quality financial development.Based on the above background,this article first describes the status and development of digital transformation and development of commercial banks,and secondly analyzes whether Chinese commercial banks’digital transformation is conducive to improving their operating performance.Thirdly,by selecting the data of the listed commercial banks in the ten years of 2012–2022,this article obtains the empirical testing of the digital transformation on different property rights.Finally,the higher the level of digitalization,the higher the digital level,the more significantly promotes the performance of commercial banks.Finally,based on the above analysis,this article puts forward feasibility opinions on commercial banks and related regulators.

Investigating customer churn in banking:a machine learning approach and visualization app for data science and management

Customer attrition in the banking industry occurs when consumers quit using the goods and services offered by the bank for some time and,after that,end their connection with the bank.Therefore,customer retention is essential in today’s extremely competitive banking market.Additionally,having a solid customer base helps attract new consumers by fostering confidence and a referral from a current clientele.These factors make reducing client attrition a crucial step that banks must pursue.In our research,we aim to examine bank data and forecast which users will most likely discontinue using the bank’s services and become paying customers.We use various machine learning algorithms to analyze the data and show comparative analysis on different evaluation metrics.In addition,we developed a Data Visualization RShiny app for data science and management regarding customer churn analysis.Analyzing this data will help the bank indicate the trend and then try to retain customers on the verge of attrition.

Study on the Countermeasures to Improve the Public Outdoor Leisure and Fitness Function on the Two Rivers and Four Banks in the Main Urban Area of Chongqing

The main urban area of Chongqing is surrounded by two rivers and set against each other.With its unique waterfront landscape,it has the resource conditions to become a leisure tourism destination.Intending to enhance people’s happiness,improve city quality,and promote Chongqing’s main urban area to become a tourist destination,this paper finds out the existing problems in the construction of public outdoor leisure and fitness facilities on the two rivers and four banks of Chongqing’s main urban area through investigation and analysis based on relevant experiences at home and abroad,takes the value chain theory as the guidance,and to find solutions to the problem.On this basis,combined with the law of economic operation,this paper puts forward the guiding ideology,principles,development goals,functional orientation,and development path for the improvement of public outdoor leisure and fitness on two rivers and four banks in the main city of Chongqing,and accordingly puts forward the policy system and guarantee measures for its improvement.

The impact of FinTech start-ups on incumbent retail banks’share prices

Background:This study aims to clarify the role of FinTech digital banking start-ups in the financial industry.We examine the impact of the funding of such start-ups on the stock returns of 47 incumbent US retail banks for 2010 to 2016.Methods:To capture the importance of FinTech start-ups,we use data on both the dollar-volume of funding and number of deals.We relate these to the stock returns with panel data regression methods.Results:Our results indicate a positive relationship exists between the growth in FinTech funding or deals and the contemporaneous stock returns of incumbent retail banks.Conclusions:Although these results suggest complementarity between FinTech and traditional banking,we note that our results at the banking industry level are not statistically significant,and that the coefficient signs for about one-third of the banks are negative,but not statistically significant.Since the FinTech industry is young and our sample period short,we cannot rule out that our findings are spurious.

Testing the governance-performance relationship for the Tunisian banks: a GMM in system analysis

Rationale:This study aims to contribute to settling the lack of consensus regarding the determinants of bank performance,not only by considering bank governance,but also by including factors such as CEO compensation and risk management committee.Previous literature has included bank governance and considered only large banks in their surveys.The exclusion of other factors such as small-and medium-size banks may render the findings of these studies limited in applicability.Objective:The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of internal governance on bank performance.Methodology:To achieve this goal,we used annual data of a sample of ten Tunisian commercial banks listed in the Tunisian Stock Exchange observed during the period 1998–2015.We use the Generalized Method of Moments(GMM)to estimate the parameters of our econometric model.Results:Our study finds that the correlation between the size of the board of directors,the state’s inclusion,and the presence of independent directors is positive and significant.On the other hand,we have found that CEO compensation,as well as foreign and institutional investors negatively affect the performance of the banks.Conclusions and implications:Tunisian banks are invited to broaden their size through appropriate restructuring,adopt new remuneration policies and define the optimal number of directors representing the state within the board of directors.Our results suggest managerial implications that can be of great value to ensuring the success of Tunisian banks.The latter should favor a higher presence of independent directors to reduce the bank control ineffectiveness caused by having a significant number of foreign and institutional investors in the board of directors.