IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijfss/v6y2018i2p53-d147816.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Profitability Determinants of Financial Institutions: Evidence from Banks in Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Hongxing Yao

    (School of Finance and Economics, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China)

  • Muhammad Haris

    (School of Finance and Economics, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China)

  • Gulzara Tariq

    (School of Finance and Economics, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic variables on the profitability of banks in Pakistan. This study applied the two-step generalized method of momentum (GMM) system estimator on an unbalanced dynamic panel of 28 banks over the latest period 2007–2016. The robust results reveal that the bank’s profitability in Pakistan is explained by size, higher solvency, financial structure, operating cost, labor productivity, market power, and economic growth. We also found an inverted U-shape relationship between banks size and profitability. Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) was applied to evaluate the impact of market power and found results in support of Structure Conduct Hypothesis. On the other hand, credit quality, operational efficiency, banking sector development, inflation, and industry concentration are found to be negatively and significantly related to the profitability of banks. Further, this study found lower profitability of banks during the government transition. The Mean comparison of profitability indicates that specialized banks (SB) in Pakistan are generating higher net interest margin (NIM) than all commercial banks (ACB). However, the empirical results of this study are robust and consistent with previous literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Hongxing Yao & Muhammad Haris & Gulzara Tariq, 2018. "Profitability Determinants of Financial Institutions: Evidence from Banks in Pakistan," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-28, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:6:y:2018:i:2:p:53-:d:147816
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/6/2/53/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/6/2/53/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher F Baum & Mark E. Schaffer & Steven Stillman, 2003. "Instrumental variables and GMM: Estimation and testing," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 3(1), pages 1-31, March.
    2. Smirlock, Michael, 1985. "Evidence on the (Non) Relationship between Concentration and Profitability in Banking," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 17(1), pages 69-83, February.
    3. Yong Tan & Christos Floros & John Anchor, 2017. "The profitability of Chinese banks: impacts of risk, competition and efficiency," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 16(1), pages 86-105, February.
    4. Djalilov, Khurshid & Piesse, Jenifer, 2016. "Determinants of bank profitability in transition countries: What matters most?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 69-82.
    5. Mohammad Abdul Munim Joarder & A. K. M. Nurul Hossain & Monir Uddin Ahmed, 2016. "Does the central bank contribute to the political monetary cycles in Bangladesh?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 365-394, November.
    6. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    7. Rhoades, Stephen A., 1985. "Market share as a source of market power: Implications and some evidence," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 343-363, December.
    8. Demirguc, Asli & Huizinga, Harry, 1999. "Determinants of Commercial Bank Interest Margins and Profitability: Some International Evidence," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 13(2), pages 379-408, May.
    9. Anat R. Admati & Peter M. DeMarzo & Martin F. Hellwig & Paul Pfleiderer, 2010. "Fallacies, Irrelevant Facts, and Myths in the Discussion of Capital Regulation: Why Bank Equity is Not Expensive," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2010_42, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
    10. Maudos, Joaquín, 2017. "Income structure, profitability and risk in the European banking sector: The impact of the crisis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PA), pages 85-101.
    11. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2002. "Government Ownership of Banks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 265-301, February.
    12. David Roodman, 2009. "How to do xtabond2: An introduction to difference and system GMM in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 9(1), pages 86-136, March.
    13. Bourke, Philip, 1989. "Concentration and other determinants of bank profitability in Europe, North America and Australia," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 65-79, March.
    14. Athanasoglou, Panayiotis P. & Brissimis, Sophocles N. & Delis, Matthaios D., 2008. "Bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank profitability," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 121-136, April.
    15. Saona, Paolo, 2016. "Intra- and extra-bank determinants of Latin American Banks' profitability," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 197-214.
    16. repec:imx:journl:201602144 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Robert G. King & Ross Levine, 1993. "Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(3), pages 717-737.
    18. Levine, Ross & Zervos, Sara, 1998. "Stock Markets, Banks, and Economic Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(3), pages 537-558, June.
    19. Eichengreen, Barry & Gibson, Heather D, 2001. "Greek Banking at the Dawn of the New Millennium," CEPR Discussion Papers 2791, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Kyriaki Kosmidou & Fotios Pasiouras & Jordan Floropoulos, 2004. "Linking profits to asset-liability management of domestic and foreign banks in the UK," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(18), pages 1319-1324.
    21. Williams, Barry, 2003. "Domestic and international determinants of bank profits: Foreign banks in Australia," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 1185-1210, June.
    22. Yong Tan & Christos Floros, 2012. "Bank profitability and inflation: the case of China," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(6), pages 675-696, October.
    23. T R Bishnoi & Sofia Devi, 2017. "Banking Reforms in India," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-319-55663-5, September.
    24. Hsiu‐Ling Wu & Chien‐Hsun Chen & Fang‐Ying Shiu, 2007. "The impact of financial development and bank characteristics on the operational performance of commercial banks in the Chinese transitional economy," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(5), pages 401-414, October.
    25. Berger, Allen N. & Hanweck, Gerald A. & Humphrey, David B., 1987. "Competitive viability in banking : Scale, scope, and product mix economies," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 501-520, December.
    26. Roland Banya & Nicholas Biekpe, 2018. "Banking efficiency and its determinants in selected frontier african markets," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 69-95, February.
    27. Gilbert, R Alton, 1984. "Bank Market Structure and Competition: A Survey," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 16(4), pages 617-644, November.
    28. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    29. Stephen Miller & Athanasios Noulas, 1997. "Portfolio mix and large-bank profitability in the USA," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(4), pages 505-512.
    30. Pankaj Sinha & Sakshi Sharma, 2016. "Determinants of bank profits and its persistence in Indian Banks: a study in a dynamic panel data framework," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 7(1), pages 35-46, March.
    31. Molyneux, Philip & Thornton, John, 1992. "Determinants of European bank profitability: A note," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 1173-1178, December.
    32. Md. Shahidul Islam & Shin-Ichi Nishiyama, 2016. "The Determinants of Bank Profitability: Dynamic Panel Evidence from South Asian Countries," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 6(3), pages 1-6.
    33. Abdul Latif Alhassan & Michael Lawer Tetteh & Freeman Owusu Brobbey, 2016. "Market power, efficiency and bank profitability: evidence from Ghana," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 71-93, February.
    34. Kosmidou, K. & Pasiouras, F. & Zopounidis, C. & Doumpos, M., 2006. "A multivariate analysis of the financial characteristics of foreign and domestic banks in the UK," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 189-195, April.
    35. Maria Teresa Medeiros Garcia & João Pedro Silva Martins Guerreiro, 2016. "Internal and external determinants of banks’ profitability: The Portuguese case," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 43(1), pages 90-107, January.
    36. Vincenzo Chiorazzo & Carlo Milani & Francesca Salvini, 2008. "Income Diversification and Bank Performance: Evidence from Italian Banks," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 33(3), pages 181-203, June.
    37. Fadzlan Sufian & Muzafar Habibullah, 2009. "Bank specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank profitability: Empirical evidence from the China banking sector," Frontiers of Economics in China, Springer;Higher Education Press, vol. 4(2), pages 274-291, June.
    38. Micco, Alejandro & Panizza, Ugo & Yanez, Monica, 2007. "Bank ownership and performance. Does politics matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 219-241, January.
    39. Yong Tan & Christos Floros, 2012. "Bank profitability and GDP growth in China: a note," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 267-273, January.
    40. Iannotta, Giuliano & Nocera, Giacomo & Sironi, Andrea, 2007. "Ownership structure, risk and performance in the European banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2127-2149, July.
    41. Sun, Poi Hun & Mohamad, Shamsher & Ariff, M., 2017. "Determinants driving bank performance: A comparison of two types of banks in the OIC," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 193-203.
    42. Mostak Ahamed, M., 2017. "Asset quality, non-interest income, and bank profitability: Evidence from Indian banks," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-14.
    43. Dietrich, Andreas & Wanzenried, Gabrielle, 2011. "Determinants of bank profitability before and during the crisis: Evidence from Switzerland," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 307-327, July.
    44. Qichang Ye & Zongling Xu & Dan Fang, 2012. "Market structure, performance, and efficiency of the Chinese banking sector," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 45(4), pages 337-358, November.
    45. Abdul Alhassan & Michael Tetteh & Freeman Brobbey, 2016. "Market power, efficiency and bank profitability: evidence from Ghana," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 71-93, February.
    46. Berger, Allen N. & Bonime, Seth D. & Covitz, Daniel M. & Hancock, Diana, 2000. "Why are bank profits so persistent? The roles of product market competition, informational opacity, and regional/macroeconomic shocks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(7), pages 1203-1235, July.
    47. Michelle Clark Neely & David C. Wheelock, 1997. "Why does bank performance vary across states?," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Mar, pages 27-40.
    48. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    49. Yong Tan & Christos Floros, 2012. "Stock market volatility and bank performance in China," Studies in Economics and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(3), pages 211-228, July.
    50. Evžen Kočenda & Jan Hanousek, 2012. "State ownership and control in the Czech Republic," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 157-191, August.
    51. Angbazo, Lazarus, 1997. "Commercial bank net interest margins, default risk, interest-rate risk, and off-balance sheet banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 55-87, January.
    52. Short, Brock K., 1979. "The relation between commercial bank profit rates and banking concentration in Canada, Western Europe, and Japan," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 209-219, September.
    53. Asim Ijaz Khwaja & Atif Mian, 2005. "Do Lenders Favor Politically Connected Firms? Rent Provision in an Emerging Financial Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 120(4), pages 1371-1411.
    54. Antonio Trujillo-Ponce, 2013. "What determines the profitability of banks? Evidence from Spain," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 53(2), pages 561-586, June.
    55. Goddard, John & Liu, Hong & Molyneux, Philip & Wilson, John O.S., 2011. "The persistence of bank profit," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2881-2890, November.
    56. Windmeijer, Frank, 2005. "A finite sample correction for the variance of linear efficient two-step GMM estimators," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 126(1), pages 25-51, May.
    57. Pasiouras, Fotios & Kosmidou, Kyriaki, 2007. "Factors influencing the profitability of domestic and foreign commercial banks in the European Union," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 222-237, June.
    58. Tan, Yong, 2016. "The impacts of risk and competition on bank profitability in China," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 85-110.
    59. Elisa Menicucci & Guido Paolucci, 2016. "The determinants of bank profitability: empirical evidence from European banking sector," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(1), pages 86-115, July.
    60. Raza, Syed Ali & Jawaid, Syed Tehseen & Shafqat, Junaid, 2013. "Profitability of the Banking Sector of Pakistan: Panel Evidence from Bank-Specific, Industry-Specific and Macroeconomic Determinants," MPRA Paper 48485, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muhammad Haris & Yong Tan & Ali Malik & Qurat Ul Ain, 2020. "A Study on the Impact of Capitalization on the Profitability of Banks in Emerging Markets: A Case of Pakistan," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, September.
    2. Muhammad Haris & HongXing Yao & Gulzara Tariq & Ali Malik & Hafiz Mustansar Javaid, 2019. "Intellectual Capital Performance and Profitability of Banks: Evidence from Pakistan," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Faluk Shair & Na Sun & Sun Shaorong & Firdos Atta & Muhammad Hussain, 2019. "Impacts of risk and competition on the profitability of banks: Empirical evidence from Pakistan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-27, November.
    4. Ayaydin, Hasan & Karaaslan, İbrahim, 2014. "Stock Market Development, Bank Concentration, Ownership Structure, and Bank Performance: Evidence from Turkey," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 1(1), pages 49-67.
    5. Tan, Yong, 2017. "The impacts of competition and shadow banking on profitability: Evidence from the Chinese banking industry," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 89-106.
    6. Hasan AYAYDIN & Ýbrahim KARAASLAN, 2014. "Stock Market Development, Bank Concentration, Ownership Structure, and Bank Performance: Evidence from Turkey," Journal of Economics and Political Economy, KSP Journals, vol. 1(1), pages 49-67, September.
    7. Kumar, Vijay & Thrikawala, Sujani & Acharya, Sanjeev, 2022. "Financial inclusion and bank profitability: Evidence from a developed market," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    8. Dietrich, Andreas & Wanzenried, Gabrielle, 2014. "The determinants of commercial banking profitability in low-, middle-, and high-income countries," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 337-354.
    9. Pankaj Sinha & Sakshi Sharma, 2016. "Determinants of bank profits and its persistence in Indian Banks: a study in a dynamic panel data framework," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 7(1), pages 35-46, March.
    10. Sufian, Fadzlan & Habibullah, Muzafar Shah, 2010. "Does economic freedom fosters banks’ performance? Panel evidence from Malaysia," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 6(2), pages 77-91.
    11. Yong Tan, 2018. "The Impacts of Competition and Risk on Profitability in Chinese Banking: Evidence from Boone Indicator and Stability Inefficiency," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 19(2), pages 523-554, November.
    12. Seyed Alireza Athari & Mahboubeh Bahreini, 2023. "The impact of external governance and regulatory settings on the profitability of Islamic banks: Evidence from Arab markets," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 2124-2147, April.
    13. Tan, Yong, 2016. "The impacts of risk and competition on bank profitability in China," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 85-110.
    14. Dietrich, Andreas & Wanzenried, Gabrielle, 2011. "Determinants of bank profitability before and during the crisis: Evidence from Switzerland," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 307-327, July.
    15. Dinh Phan & Paresh Kumar Narayan & Akhis R. Hutabarat, 2018. "Do Financial Technology Firms Influence Bank Performance?," Working Papers WP/19/2018, Bank Indonesia.
    16. Martins, António Miguel & Serra, Ana Paula & Stevenson, Simon, 2019. "Determinants of real estate bank profitability," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 282-300.
    17. Fazelina Sahul Hamid, 2017. "The Effect of Market Structure on Banks’ Profitability and Stability: Evidence from ASEAN-5 Countries," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(4), pages 578-598, October.
    18. Robin, Iftekhar & Salim, Ruhul & Bloch, Harry, 2018. "Financial performance of commercial banks in the post-reform era: Further evidence from Bangladesh," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 43-54.
    19. Heri Sudarsono & Fiqih Afriadi & Siti Aisiyah Suciningtias, 2021. "Do stability and size affect the profitability of Islamic rural bank in Indonesia?," Jurnal Ekonomi & Keuangan Islam, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Islam Indonesia, vol. 7(2), pages 161-174.
    20. Athanasoglou, Panayiotis P. & Brissimis, Sophocles N. & Delis, Matthaios D., 2008. "Bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank profitability," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 121-136, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:6:y:2018:i:2:p:53-:d:147816. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.