IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jproda/v58y2022i1d10.1007_s11123-022-00637-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The productivity growth of euro area banks

Author

Listed:
  • Ivan Huljak

    (Croatian National Bank, Trg hrvatskih velikana 3)

  • Reiner Martin

    (Joint Vienna Institute, Mariahilferstrasse 97)

  • Diego Moccero

    (European Central Bank, Sonnemannstrasse 22)

Abstract

We study the performance of the banking system in the Eurozone over the period 2006–2017 as measured by total factor productivity growth (TFPG) and its components. We find that Total Factor Productivity growth for the median euro area bank decreased from around 2.6% in 2007 to below 1.7% in 2017, driven mainly by a decline in technical efficiency. In addition, we control for unobserved heterogeneity across banks and disentangle persistent and time-varying inefficiency in the banking sector. This modelling choice is important to avoid distorted and biased inefficiency estimates. We find that cost efficiency in the euro area banking sector amounted to around 84% on average over the 2006 to 2017 period. The largest part of bank inefficiency is persistent, suggesting that structural long-term factors (such as location, client structure, macroeconomic environment, regulation, etc.) play a bigger role than time-varying factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Ivan Huljak & Reiner Martin & Diego Moccero, 2022. "The productivity growth of euro area banks," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 15-33, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jproda:v:58:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11123-022-00637-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11123-022-00637-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11123-022-00637-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11123-022-00637-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zuzana FUNGACOVA & Paul-Olivier KLEIN & Laurent WEILL, 2018. "Persistent and Transient Inefficiency: Explaining the Low Efficiency of Chinese Big Banks," Working Papers of LaRGE Research Center 2018-07, Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie (LaRGE), Université de Strasbourg.
    2. Lozano-Vivas, Ana & Pasiouras, Fotios, 2010. "The impact of non-traditional activities on the estimation of bank efficiency: International evidence," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1436-1449, July.
    3. Massimo Filippini & William Greene, 2016. "Persistent and transient productive inefficiency: a maximum simulated likelihood approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 187-196, April.
    4. Berger, Allen N, 1995. "The Profit-Structure Relationship in Banking--Tests of Market-Power and Efficient-Structure Hypotheses," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 27(2), pages 404-431, May.
    5. Joseph P. Hughes & Loretta J. Mester, 2008. "Efficiency in Banking: Theory, Practice, and Evidence," Departmental Working Papers 200801, Rutgers University, Department of Economics.
    6. Hughes, Joseph P. & Mester, Loretta J., 2013. "Who said large banks don’t experience scale economies? Evidence from a risk-return-driven cost function," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 559-585.
    7. Altunbas, Yener & Evans, Lynne & Molyneux, Philip, 2001. "Bank Ownership and Efficiency," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(4), pages 926-954, November.
    8. Bert Balk, 2001. "Scale Efficiency and Productivity Change," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 159-183, May.
    9. Subal Kumbhakar & Gudbrand Lien & J. Hardaker, 2014. "Technical efficiency in competing panel data models: a study of Norwegian grain farming," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 321-337, April.
    10. Bonin, John P. & Hasan, Iftekhar & Wachtel, Paul, 2005. "Bank performance, efficiency and ownership in transition countries," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 31-53, January.
    11. Psillaki, Maria & Mamatzakis, Emmanuel, 2017. "What drives bank performance in transitions economies? The impact of reforms and regulations," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PA), pages 578-594.
    12. Baltagi, Badi H & Griffin, James M, 1988. "A General Index of Technical Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(1), pages 20-41, February.
    13. Kumbhakar,Subal C. & Wang,Hung-Jen & Horncastle,Alan P., 2015. "A Practitioner's Guide to Stochastic Frontier Analysis Using Stata," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107609464.
    14. Sealey, Calvin W, Jr & Lindley, James T, 1977. "Inputs, Outputs, and a Theory of Production and Cost at Depository Financial Institutions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 32(4), pages 1251-1266, September.
    15. Michael R. Jonas & Sharmila K. King, 2008. "Bank Efficiency And The Effectiveness Of Monetary Policy," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 26(4), pages 579-589, October.
    16. Havranek, Tomas & Irsova, Zuzana & Lesanovska, Jitka, 2016. "Bank efficiency and interest rate pass-through: Evidence from Czech loan products," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 153-169.
    17. Kumbhakar, Subal C., 1991. "Estimation of technical inefficiency in panel data models with firm- and time-specific effects," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 43-48, May.
    18. Joseph P. Hughes & Loretta J. Mester, 1993. "Accounting for the demand for financial capital and risk-taking in bank cost functions," Working Papers 93-17, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    19. Zhi Shen & Hailin Liao & Thomas Weyman-Jones, 2009. "Cost efficiency analysis in banking industries of ten Asian countries and regions," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 199-218.
    20. Maudos, Joaquin & Pastor, Jose M. & Perez, Francisco & Quesada, Javier, 2002. "Cost and profit efficiency in European banks," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 33-58, February.
    21. Berger, Allen N. & Mester, Loretta J., 1997. "Inside the black box: What explains differences in the efficiencies of financial institutions?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(7), pages 895-947, July.
    22. Beccalli, Elena & Anolli, Mario & Borello, Giuliana, 2015. "Are European banks too big? Evidence on economies of scale," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 232-246.
    23. Efthymios G. Tsionas & Subal C. Kumbhakar, 2014. "FIRM HETEROGENEITY, PERSISTENT AND TRANSIENT TECHNICAL INEFFICIENCY: A GENERALIZED TRUE RANDOM‐EFFECTS model," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 110-132, January.
    24. George E. Battese & Greg S. Corra, 1977. "Estimation Of A Production Frontier Model: With Application To The Pastoral Zone Of Eastern Australia," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 21(3), pages 169-179, December.
    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. Lensink, Robert & Meesters, Aljar & Naaborg, Ilko, 2008. "Bank efficiency and foreign ownership: Do good institutions matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 834-844, May.
    27. Shamshur, Anastasiya & Weill, Laurent, 2019. "Does bank efficiency influence the cost of credit?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 62-73.
    28. Koetter, Michael & Poghosyan, Tigran, 2009. "The identification of technology regimes in banking: Implications for the market power-fragility nexus," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 1413-1422, August.
    29. Roberto Colombi & Subal Kumbhakar & Gianmaria Martini & Giorgio Vittadini, 2014. "Closed-skew normality in stochastic frontiers with individual effects and long/short-run efficiency," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 123-136, October.
    30. Hughes, Joseph P. & Mester, Loretta J. & Moon, Choon-Geol, 2001. "Are scale economies in banking elusive or illusive?: Evidence obtained by incorporating capital structure and risk-taking into models of bank production," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2169-2208, December.
    31. John Goddard & Hong Liu & Phil Molyneux & John O.S. Wilson, 2013. "Do Bank Profits Converge?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 19(2), pages 345-365, March.
    32. Miss Rita Babihuga & Marco Spaltro, 2014. "Bank Funding Costs for International Banks," IMF Working Papers 2014/071, International Monetary Fund.
    33. Miguel Boucinha & Nuno Ribeiro & Thomas Weyman-Jones, 2013. "An assessment of Portuguese banks’ efficiency and productivity towards euro area participation," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 177-190, April.
    34. Guohua Feng & Apostolos Serletis, 2009. "Efficiency and productivity of the US banking industry, 1998-2005: evidence from the Fourier cost function satisfying global regularity conditions," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(1), pages 105-138.
    35. Bos, J.W.B. & Schmiedel, H., 2007. "Is there a single frontier in a single European banking market?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2081-2102, July.
    36. Carretta, Alessandro & Farina, Vincenzo & Fiordelisi, Franco & Schwizer, Paola, 2006. "Corporate culture and shareholder value in banking industry," MPRA Paper 8304, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    37. Fiordelisi, Franco & Marques-Ibanez, David & Molyneux, Phil, 2011. "Efficiency and risk in European banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1315-1326, May.
    38. Casu, Barbara & Ferrari, Alessandra & Girardone, Claudia & Wilson, John O.S., 2016. "Integration, productivity and technological spillovers: Evidence for eurozone banking industries," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 255(3), pages 971-983.
    39. Yener Altunbas & Santiago Carbo & Edward P.M. Gardener & Philip Molyneux, 2007. "Examining the Relationships between Capital, Risk and Efficiency in European Banking," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 13(1), pages 49-70, January.
    40. Franco Fiordelisi & Philip Molyneux, 2006. "Shareholder Value in Banking," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-59592-7, September.
    41. Battese, George E. & Corra, Greg S., 1977. "Estimation Of A Production Frontier Model: With Application To The Pastoral Zone Of Eastern Australia," Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 21(3), pages 1-11, December.
    42. Franco Fiordelisi & Philip Molyneux, 2006. "Why Study Shareholder Value Creation in European Banking?," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, in: Shareholder Value in Banking, chapter 1, pages 1-8, Palgrave Macmillan.
    43. Greene, William, 2005. "Reconsidering heterogeneity in panel data estimators of the stochastic frontier model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 126(2), pages 269-303, June.
    44. Schlüter, Tobias & Busch, Ramona & Hartmann-Wendels, Thomas & Sievers, Sönke, 2012. "Determinants of the interest rate pass-through of banks: Evidence from German loan products," Discussion Papers 26/2012, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    45. Altunbas, Yener & Goddard, John & Molyneux, Phil, 1999. "Technical change in banking," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 215-221, August.
    46. Badunenko, Oleg & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2017. "Economies of scale, technical change and persistent and time-varying cost efficiency in Indian banking: Do ownership, regulation and heterogeneity matter?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 260(2), pages 789-803.
    47. Franco Fiordelisi & Philip Molyneux, 2006. "Measuring Shareholder Value Drivers in Banking," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, in: Shareholder Value in Banking, chapter 6, pages 194-255, Palgrave Macmillan.
    48. Kumbhakar, Subal C & Hjalmarsson, Lennart, 1995. "Labour-Use Efficiency in Swedish Social Insurance Offices," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(1), pages 33-47, Jan.-Marc.
    49. A S Camanho & R G Dyson, 2005. "Cost efficiency, production and value-added models in the analysis of bank branch performance," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 56(5), pages 483-494, May.
    50. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
    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. Ivan Huljak & Reiner Martin & Diego Moccero, 2021. "Bank productivity in CESEE countries," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q2/21, pages 83-104.
    2. Huljak, Ivan & Martin, Reiner & Moccero, Diego, 2019. "The cost-efficiency and productivity growth of euro area banks," Working Paper Series 2305, European Central Bank.
    3. Mike G. Tsionas & Konstantinos N. Baltas, 2022. "On identifying risk-adjusted efficiency gains or losses of prospective mergers and acquisitions," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 318(1), pages 619-683, November.
    4. Martini, Gianmaria & Scotti, Davide & Viola, Domenico & Vittadini, Giorgio, 2020. "Persistent and temporary inefficiency in airport cost function: An application to Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 999-1019.
    5. Sarmiento, Miguel & Galán, Jorge E., 2017. "The influence of risk-taking on bank efficiency: Evidence from Colombia," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 52-73.
    6. Badunenko, Oleg & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2017. "Economies of scale, technical change and persistent and time-varying cost efficiency in Indian banking: Do ownership, regulation and heterogeneity matter?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 260(2), pages 789-803.
    7. Roberto Colombi & Gianmaria Martini & Giorgio Vittadini, 2017. "Determinants of transient and persistent hospital efficiency: The case of Italy," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(S2), pages 5-22, September.
    8. Bos, Jaap W. B. & Heid, Frank & Koetter, Michael & Kolari, James W. & Kool, Clemens J. M., 2005. "Inefficient or just different? Effects of heterogeneity on bank efficiency scores," Discussion Paper Series 2: Banking and Financial Studies 2005,15, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    9. Pontus Mattsson & Jonas Mansson & William H. Greene, 2018. "TFP Change and its Components for Swedish Manufacturing Firms During the 2008-2009 Financial Crisis," Working Papers 18-27, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    10. Do Van Anh,, 2022. "Does better capitalization enhance bank efficiency and limit risk taking? Evidence from ASEAN commercial banks," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    11. Nurboja, Bashkim & Košak, Marko, 2017. "Banking efficiency in South East Europe: Evidence for financial crises and the gap between new EU members and candidate countries," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 122-138.
    12. Timothy King & Jonathan Williams, 2013. "Bank Efficiency and Executive Compensation," Working Papers 13009, Bangor Business School, Prifysgol Bangor University (Cymru / Wales).
    13. Gralka, Sabine, 2018. "Stochastic frontier analysis in higher education: A systematic review," CEPIE Working Papers 05/18, Technische Universität Dresden, Center of Public and International Economics (CEPIE).
    14. Williams, Jonathan & Nguyen, Nghia, 2005. "Financial liberalisation, crisis, and restructuring: A comparative study of bank performance and bank governance in South East Asia," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(8-9), pages 2119-2154, August.
    15. Agostino, Mariarosaria & Ruberto, Sabrina & Trivieri, Francesco, 2023. "The role of local institutions in cooperative banks’ efficiency. The case of Italy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 84-103.
    16. Ali M. Oumer & Amin Mugera & Michael Burton & Atakelty Hailu, 2022. "Technical efficiency and firm heterogeneity in stochastic frontier models: application to smallholder maize farms in Ethiopia," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 213-241, April.
    17. Massimo Filippini & Thomas Geissmann & William H. Greene, 2018. "Persistent and transient cost efficiency—an application to the Swiss hydropower sector," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 65-77, February.
    18. Mamatzakis, Emmanuel & Zhang, Xiaoxiang & Wang, Chaoke, 2016. "Invisible hand discipline from informed trading: Does market discipline from trading affect bank capital structure?," MPRA Paper 76215, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Magambo, Isaiah & Dikgang, Johane & Gelo, Dambala & Tregenna, Fiona, 2021. "Environmental and Technical Efficiency in Large Gold Mines in Developing Countries," MPRA Paper 108068, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Md. Asif Nawaz, 2021. "Impact of Specialization, Ownership Structure, and Size on Cost and Profit Efficiency of US Commercial and Savings Banks," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 11(3), pages 1-4.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Euro area banking sector; total factor productivity; cost-efficiency frontier; panel data; time-varying inefficiency; persistent inefficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:kap:jproda:v:58:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11123-022-00637-0. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.