Cost Efficiency and Returns to Scale in GCC Banking

Abderazak Bakhouche ()
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Abderazak Bakhouche: Higher Colleges of Technology

Chapter 8 in Banking in the GCC, 2026, pp 255-283 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract This chapter examines DEA-based cost efficiency and returns to scale in the GCC banking sectors over the period 2002–2022 m using a two-stage methodology. The results show that cost efficiency in GCC banking averaged about 0.286, driven by technical (0.723), scale (0.784), and allocative (0.384) efficiencies. While technical and scale efficiencies are more influenced by bank-level characteristics, allocative efficiencies are affected by institutional and macroeconomic factors. Most banks operate under DRS or IRS. The study finds that cost efficiency in GCC banking varies across countries, sizes, and ownership, and is affected by major external shocks. The study calls for consolidation among GCC banks and for enhancement in institutional quality.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:pmschp:978-3-032-21737-0_8

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-21737-0_8

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