Analysis of Countercyclical Policy Factors in The Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Financial Statement Fraud Detection of Banking Companies in Indonesia

Abstract

This research is motivated by the application of countercyclical policy, such as credit restructuring, by banking companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit restructuring that the banks carried out had the potential to affect their financial performance and increase the tendency of financial statement manipulations. The purpose of this study is to review the significance of the changes in banks’ financial performance before and after the implementation of the credit restructuring, as well as its relationship to the potential for fraudulent financial statements. The population in this study was the financial sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2020, a total of 105 companies. The 96 samples consisted of 32 banking companies in the commercial banking category that have implemented countercyclical policies in the form of credit restructuring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research method was a quantitative method using secondary data obtained from the official website of the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the official websites of the related companies. The results showed no significant change in the banks’ financial performance. Although the credit restructuring had an impact, such as a decrease in their profits, it did not encourage them to manipulate their financial statements.