Corporate sustainability reporting practices in the banking sector: A governance implication

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Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the level of sustainability reporting practices (SRP) in the Indian banking sector. The researcher used content analysis techniques to quantify the level of SRP in the post-merger and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods of the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) period based on sustainability indicators prescribed by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, National Voluntary Guidelines (NVGs) on responsible business conduct, and literature review. The relevant data on sustainability reporting were extracted from business responsibility reports, corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, and annual reports published by public and private sector banks in the 2021–2022 financial year (FY). The empirical findings showed that financial inclusion, green technology, and financial literacy are the top priorities under SRP among Indian banking companies. The study noted that banks in India pay limited consideration to indicators related to the environment (Mani, 2022). The findings further demonstrate a significant difference in sustainable reporting between public and private sector banks in India in terms of environmental and governance indicators (Kumar & Prakash, 2019a). This study strengthens the body of literature by evaluating the types of sustainable reporting practices in the Indian banking sector under the BRSR reporting regime after the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Keywords: Sustainability Reporting, NVGs, Banking Sector, GRI Standards, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Framework, BRSR Reporting

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — P.D., K.D., A.K.B., A.S., and H.D.; Methodology — P.D, B.S., R.K., A.S., and H.D.; Software — P.D., B.S., S.D., and H.D.; Formal Analysis — P.D., K.D., S.D., R.K., and H.D.; Writing — Original Draft — P.D., K.D., B.S., A.S., and H.D.; Writing — Review & Editing — P.D., K.D., S.D., and H.D.; Visualization — P.D., S.D., R.K., A.S., and H.D.; Supervision — P.D., K.D., A.S., and H.D.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M40, Q5, Q3

Received: 11.01.2024
Accepted: 24.10.2024
Published online: 28.10.2024

How to cite this paper: Debnath, P., Das, K., Bhuyan, A. K., Saikia, B., Das, S., Kanoo, R., Saha, A., & Debi, H. (2024). Corporate sustainability reporting practices in the banking sector: A governance implication. Journal of Governance & Regulation, 13(4), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv13i4art16