How did Banks' ESG Conduct Affect Financial Performance and Lending During COVID-19?

Abstract

This paper examines the link between ESG conduct and banks' stock performance during the COVID-19 crisis using a large global sample of banks. We find that a one standard deviation increase in a bank's ESG score is associated on average with a 0.14 percentage point lower daily stock returns during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining the potential drivers behind the negative impact of the ESG conduct, we show that banks with a higher fraction of retail investors are more affected. Last, we provide evidence for a negative association between banks' ESG performance and their lending in times of COVID-19, which is again relatively more pronounced for banks with a higher share of retail ownership.

Keywords: ESG, Sustainable banks, COVID-19, Bank lending

JEL Classification: G21, E51