Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the potential effect of ownership concentration on the relationship between board composition and bank performance. The study employs a sample of Saudi banks listed on Saudi stock exchange (TADAUWL) over the period from 2011 to 2018. To test the study hypotheses and control for endogeneity issues, the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and the Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) techniques are used. The empirical results reveal a significant negative moderating effect of ownership concentration on the association between board composition and bank performance, which confirms the study argument and supports hypotheses. The results indicate that board composition in terms of independent board members, executive board members, and non-executive board members in banks with higher ownership concentration have a weaker positive influence on bank performance. For control variables, the results are almost consistent with theoretical perspectives and previous empirical evidence. The results of this study have important implications for regulatory authorities, companies, and market participants in Saudi Arabia and countries with high concentrated ownership to understand how ownership concentration could affect corporate governance and firm performance and to identify appropriate actions to protect board composition from the influence of ownership concentration.