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How to regulate bank dividends? Is capital regulation an answer?

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  • Ashraf, Badar Nadeem
  • Bibi, Bushra
  • Zheng, Changjun

Abstract

This paper is a contribution to the debate on “how to regulate banks' dividend payout behaviour”, a question that has attracted special attention of academicians as well as policy makers since the onset of 2007–08 financial crisis. In this paper, we examine whether common equity based capital regulation and more stringent risk based capital requirements force banks to restrict dividend payments. Common equity based capital regulation is likely to restrict bank dividends by limiting the sources of new capital for banks. Similarly more stringent risk based capital requirements are likely to force banks to retain profits to meet regulatory capital requirements. We use an international sample of 8689 banks from 58 countries over the pre-crisis period 1998–2007 for empirical analysis. Results show that banks paid lower dividends, were less likely to pay dividends and were less likely to pay excessive dividends in countries where regulators imposed common equity based capital regulation and more stringent risk based capital requirements for the banking industry during the pre-crisis period. We also extend our sample period from 1998 to 2012 and observe that regulatory capital requirements are less effective in restricting bank dividend payments during crisis period. From a policy perspective, we suggest that regulators can limit banks' options to raise new capital from non-common equity based sources and can impose more stringent risk based capital requirements to restrict banks from dividend over-payments in good times. While regulators can use blanket restrictions on sector wise dividend payments in bad times.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Bibi, Bushra & Zheng, Changjun, 2016. "How to regulate bank dividends? Is capital regulation an answer?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 281-293.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:57:y:2016:i:c:p:281-293
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2016.05.005
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    2. Michele Fabrizi & Elisabetta Ipino & Michel Magnan & Antonio Parbonetti, 2016. "Real Regulatory Capital Management and Dividend Payout: Evidence from Available-for-Sale Securities," CIRANO Working Papers 2016s-57, CIRANO.
    3. Marco Belloni & Maciej Grodzicki & Mariusz Jarmuzek, 2024. "Why European banks adjust their dividend payouts?," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(3), pages 284-304, September.
    4. Salvatore Cardillo & Jacopo Raponi, 2023. "EU banks' dividend policies: main determinants and the role of capital ratios," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1403, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    5. Kent Baker, H. & De Ridder, Adri, 2018. "Payout policy in industrial and financial firms," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 138-151.
    6. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Zheng, Changjun & Jiang, Chonghui & Qian, Ningyu, 2020. "Capital regulation, deposit insurance and bank risk: International evidence from normal and crisis periods," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    7. Duqi, Andi & Jaafar, Aziz & Warsame, Mohammed H., 2020. "Payout policy and ownership structure: The case of Islamic and conventional banks," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(1).
    8. Osama M. Al-Hares (Correspondnce author) & Kashif Saleem, 2017. "Islamic Banks Financial Performance and Implications of Basel III Standards in the GCC: An Empirical Analysis," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 7, pages 80-97, February.
    9. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Arshad, Sidra, 2017. "Foreign bank subsidiaries’ risk-taking behavior: Impact of home and host country national culture," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 318-335.
    10. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2017. "Political institutions and bank risk-taking behavior," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 13-35.
    11. Changjun Zheng & Mohammed Mizanur Rahman & Munni Begum & Badar Nadeem Ashraf, 2017. "Capital Regulation, the Cost of Financial Intermediation and Bank Profitability: Evidence from Bangladesh," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-24, April.
    12. David Blanco‐Alcántara & Jorge Gallud‐Cano & Félix J. López‐Iturriaga & Óscar López‐de‐Foronda, 2022. "Have European banks maintained their payout policy during the crisis? The role of scrip dividends," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 4619-4632, October.
    13. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2018. "Do trade and financial openness matter for financial development? Bank-level evidence from emerging market economies," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 434-458.
    14. Badar Nadeem Ashraf & Sidra Arshad & Yuancheng Hu, 2016. "Capital Regulation and Bank Risk-Taking Behavior: Evidence from Pakistan," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-20, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bank dividend policy; Regulatory hypothesis; Banking; Capital regulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G35 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Payout Policy

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