Profitability Drivers in European Banks: Analyzing Internal and External Factors in the Post-2009 Financial Landscape

Suzana Laporšek (), Barbara Švagan, Mojca Stubelj and Igor Stubelj
Additional contact information
Suzana Laporšek: Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, Izolska vrata 2, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia
Barbara Švagan: Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, Izolska vrata 2, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia
Mojca Stubelj: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia
Igor Stubelj: Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, Izolska vrata 2, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia

Risks, 2024, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: The paper examines the key determinants of European banks’ profitability by analyzing the return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), net interest margin (NIM), and the risk-adjusted measures of profitability, RAROAA and RAROAE, across 34 European countries during the period from 2013 to 2018—a time characterized by economic recovery and significant regulatory reforms, including the implementation of Basel III standards. Using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach and data of 3076 European banks, the research addresses the complex interplay between internal (bank-specific) factors and external factors, including macroeconomic and industry-specific factors. The results show that profitability is positively associated with a higher capital adequacy, liquidity risk, and income diversification, but not for risk-adjusted profitability ratios. Credit risk, management efficiency, and excessive size have a negative effect on all studied profitability measures. Macroeconomic conditions, in particular, GDP growth and inflation, also have a significant impact on profitability. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions aiming to enhance profitability while maintaining the stability of the European banking sector.

Keywords: bank profitability; European banking sector; determinants; Generalized Method of Moments; risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C G0 G1 G2 G3 K2 M2 M4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/13/1/2/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/13/1/2/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jrisks:v:13:y:2024:i:1:p:2-:d:1555402

Access Statistics for this article

Risks is currently edited by Mr. Claude Zhang

More articles in Risks from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().