Determinants of Interest Rate Spreads in Solomon Islands

Nooman Rebei

No 2014/105, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: Bank interest rate spreads in Solomon Islands are high by regional standards. This paper examines the determinants of bank interest rates including bank specific, banking sector, macroeconomic, and legal indicators. The results show that the scale of operation, overhead costs, concentration index, and some macroeconomic variables (i.e., monetary policy rates and real growth) significantly influence interest rate margins. The paper particularly focus on the influence of the banking sector structure and finds strong evidence of bank collusion.

Keywords: WP; bank; interest rate; interest; rate; Solomon Islands; banking spreads; financial intermediation; bank spread; bank specific; market power; bank concentration; credit risk; bank cost; banks in Solomon Islands; risk-averse bank; bank risk aversion; correlated bank reaction; Commercial banks; Loans; Income; Legal support in revenue administration; Inflation; Asia and Pacific (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24
Date: 2014-06-12
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