Australian Specific Bank Features and the Impact of Income Diversification on Bank Performance and Risk

Abstract

As an outcome of financial deregulation, commercial banks have significantly diversified from a domestic dependence on simple interest-bearing loans to a broader range of financial services across international markets. Such initiatives have transformed the structure of the Australian banking industry and are destined to receive scrutiny following the announcement of Australia’s financial services inquiry. Against the view that attempts by firms to diversify can be expected to impact negatively on financial performance, we find no evidence to suggest that diversification has been detrimental to the performance of Australian banks. It appears, rather, that Australia’s banks have improved their risk-return revenue streams as an outcome of diversification. We confirm our findings with both accounting and market measures of performance.

Keywords: Diversification; Australian banks; Bank performance; Market performance

JEL Classification: G10; G20; G21