The Lahore Journal
of Business

The Lahore Journal
of Business

Lahore Journal of Business

(HEC recognized journal in “Y” category)

The Lahore Journal of Business is aimed at providing a specialized forum for dissemination of qualitative and quantitative research in various areas of business administration. The LJB invites researchers, policy makers and analysts to submit original theoretical and empirical papers that explore and contribute to the understanding of various areas in the business domain. The Journal aims at bringing together state-of-art research findings, particularly from emerging markets, in various business disciplines including (but not limited to) accounting, banking, management, marketing, finance, investments, human resource management and organizational behavior.

Syed M. Waqar Azeem Naqvi, Tahseen M. Khan and Sayyid Salman Rizavi

This study highlights the differences in performance of commercial banks operating in Pakistan in the context of credit portfolio management. Specifically, we look at their credit allocation policies and outcomes in the shape of nonperforming loans (NPLs). We categorize a sample of 34 banks into four major groups: public, private, Islamic and foreign banks. The study tests several hypotheses related to the overall efficiency of banks’ credit portfolio management over time as well as the drivers of NPLs and priority sectors for lending across these four categories. The findings broadly suggest that public banks tend to suffer most from NPLs, whereas Islamic and foreign banks manage their portfolios more efficiently. NPLs are highest in the priority lending sectors across all types of banks, which underscores the inefficiency of managerial decision-making when managing credit portfolios. Over time, at an aggregate level, all four types of banks have become less efficient, as reflected by the increase in NPLs as a percentage of gross credit and assets.