Bank Specific and Macroeconomic Determinants of Commercial Bank Profitability: Empirical Evidence from Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants of the banks profitability in Turkey over the time period from 2002 to 2010. The bank profitability is measured by return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) as a function of bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants. Using a balanced panel data set, the results show that asset size and non-interest income have a positive and significant effect on bank profitability. However, size of credit portfolio and loans under follow-up have a negative and significant impact on bank profitability. With regard to macroeconomic variables, only the real interest rate affects the performance of banks positively. These results suggest that banks can improve their profitability through increasing bank size and non-interest income, decreasing credit/asset ratio. In addition, higher real interest rate can lead to higher bank profitability.

Keywords: Bank Profitability, Commercial Banks, Turkish Banking Sector

JEL Classification: G21, M20