Technological catch-up, nonmonotonicity, and convergence: Parametric evidence from the BRICS and European banking systems

Navendu Prakash, Shveta Singh and Seema Sharma

Economic Systems, 2025, vol. 49, issue 1

Abstract: IT-driven productivity growth offers banks an intriguing opportunity to differentiate their offerings in a monopolistic market, introduce attractive products, enhance customer service, streamline back-office processes, and ultimately achieve the twin goals of cost minimization and profit maximization. However, there has been no convincing explanation for the observed divergence in the IT-productivity literature, raising doubts about whether IT can significantly improve performance in contemporary banking markets. The article examines the role of IT-led productivity growth in governing the direction and magnitude of intra-industry and inter-country convergence by investigating the potential nonmonotonicity of IT in influencing frontier-based efficiency of the BRICS and European banking markets. Findings reveal U-shaped associations between IT and cost (profit) efficiency, suggesting that excessive investment in IT may explain the productivity conundrum for BRICS nations. IT capital is not a significant driver of cost efficiency for European nations. Nevertheless, R&D spending significantly influences frontier efficiency, reinforcing that European banks can achieve frontier-level performance by investing in innovative solutions. Inter-regional comparisons reveal that BRICS banks are converging with their European counterparts by leveraging IT solutions, while diminishing marginal benefits for the latter reinforces the presence of a catch-up effect. Intra-industry comparisons reveal that size, age, and R&D intensity drive technological catch-up and convergence.

Keywords: Technological innovations; Stochastic frontier analysis; Convergence; Commercial banks; BRICS; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C67 G21 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecosys:v:49:y:2025:i:1:s093936252400075x

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecosys.2024.101253

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