The Effect of Macroeconomic Variables and Sukuk on the Profitability of Iranian Banks

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of macroeconomic variables and Sukuk "Sharia Compliant bonds" on the profitability of banks. Two definitions have been used for profit. First: the ratio of bank's profit to its total assets. Second: the ratio of net operational income of the bank to its total deposits. The time range of the research is the period of 2012 to  2019 and the research sample includes 16 banks listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were performed using multivariate regression model and hybrid data. The results showed that GDP growth as well as inflation have a positive and significant effect on both profitability indices, but the growth of exchange rate and total Sukuk traded in the capital market has a negative and significant effect on both profitability indices. Operating leverage has a negative and significant effect, and the size of banks has a positive and significant effect on both profitability indices.