COVID-19 and Its Impact on the Financial Performance of Kuwaiti Banks: A Comparative Study Between Conventional and Islamic Banks

COVID-19 struck without warning, and by the first quarter of 2020, the world had plunged into a state of total closure as a means of containing the pandemic's devastating effect. Certainly, the pandemic shook many economies; some countries were able to cope, while third-world countries lost their invulnerability. Based on this, the current study looked at financial reports from Kuwaiti conventional and Islamic banks from 2019 to 2020 (before and after the pandemic) and compared the findings to see how much of an impact Kuwaiti conventional and Islamic banks had during the COVID-19 epidemic. Financial analysis of financial reports was used as a quantitative methodology, and variables were compared and analyzed, including (the liquidity ratio, profitability ratio, and financial leverage) within (14) Kuwaiti conventional and Islamic banks. The study found that the pandemic had a detrimental impact on both conventional and Islamic banks in Kuwait, as they were the first line of defense for the Kuwaiti economy during lockdowns and quarantines. Furthermore, there were significant implications on the Rate of Return on Investment, Debt, Financial Leverage, and Return on Equity.