The effect of equity ownership structure on non-conditional conservatism: an empirical study based on listed companies in Egypt

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of different modes of equity ownership structure in unconditional conservatism of financial reporting for non-financial listed companies in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach Using a large sample of Egyptian non-financial listed companies for the period from 2011-2018, this paper used the ordinary least square regression model to test the impact of equity ownership equity on accounting conservatism based on an accrual-based measure developed by Givoly and Hayn (2000) and Ahmed and Duellman (2007). Findings The paper finds that, on average, Egyptian listed companies tend to demonstrate lower levels of unconditional conservatism during the period from 2011-2018. Regarding the different patterns of equity shareholding, a negative association between unconditional conservatism and managerial ownership is found. Briefly, the mild equity shareholding of managers in Egyptian listed companies is accompanied by higher demand for conservative reporting. Besides, a negative association is also reported for the relationship between concentrated ownership and unconditional conservatism in which the concentration of shareholding by a few numbers of individual investors lessen the demand for conservatism. By contrast, a non-significance relationship is reported neither for institutional shareholders nor for governmental ownership in their relationship with unconditional conservatism. Research limitations/implications The paper does not take into account the modifications conducted on the Egyptian accounting standards according to decree number 69 for the year of 2019 because they were not valid until the publishing of this paper. It considers only non-conditional conservatism. Practical implications First, the paper provides clear empirical evidence that Egyptian listed companies are adopting less-conservative accounting policies in their financial reporting during a high-tension period that witnessed several radical political and economic events. This evidence should stimulate regulators and policymakers to revisit the reporting standards to improve the quality of financial information and should also guide investors' decisions because it helps in clarifying their interpretation of figures and trends reported in financial statements. Second, the paper would direct the attention of the Egyptian government to the importance of increasing their investment in the stock market to enhance its regulatory role. Third, it gives some implications to investors and policymakers toward the shape of the relationship between accounting conservatism and each pattern of equity shareholding in Egypt. Originality/value This paper visualizes an image toward the current state of equity ownership structure for listed companies in Egypt within a period that witnessed critical vulnerabilities and irregularities. In addition, it addresses how the accounting conservatism would be shaped according to the different types of equity shareholdings in Egypt.