Empirical Impact of IFRS 9 on Banking Performance and Credit Risk Management of Moroccan Banks: A Panel Data Analysis (2014–2025)

This paper examines the changes associated with the adoption of IFRS 9 in banking performance and credit risk
management among listed Moroccan banks. Although prior studies have analysed the implications of IFRS 9 in
several jurisdictions, evidence remains limited for emerging banking systems, particularly in Morocco. Existing
research also provides limited longitudinal evidence based on verified bank-level data, especially regarding the
differentiated post-adoption behaviour of expected credit loss provisions, coverage ratios and profitability
indicators.
To address this gap, the study uses a hand-collected panel of five listed Moroccan banks over the period 2014–
2025, based on published IFRS-consolidated and PCEC financial statements. A fixed-effects panel estimator is
applied around the 2018 IFRS 9 adoption date controlling for credit risk expected credit losses and leverage. Given
the limited number of banks and the common timing of IFRS 9 adoption, the results are interpreted as observed
associations and post-adoption changes rather than as definitive causal effects.
The findings highlight three main results, First, IFRS 9 is associated with greater informational transparency
through more granular credit-risk disclosures and stage-level ECL reporting but this does not translate into a
homogeneous increase in the headline loan loss coverage ratio. Second, ECL provisions appear sensitive to
macroeconomic shocks particularly during the COVID-19 period suggesting a more forward-looking recognition
of credit risk. Third, profitability indicators declined on average after adoption with a pronounced shock in 2020
followed by a heterogeneous recovery across banks in 2021–2025.
The study contributes to the literature on IFRS 9 in emerging economies by providing verified longitudinal
evidence from Morocco and by showing that IFRS 9 adoption should be analysed through distinct accounting,
prudential and informational dimensions. The results suggest that improved disclosure and more granular creditrisk
recognition do not necessarily imply a uniform improvement in underlying financial stability or banking
performance.