IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v12y2024i1p15-d1313968.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Cost Efficiency and Competition Relationship: Evidence from Saudi Arabian Banks and Non-Structural Approaches to Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Hind Alnafisah

    (Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Lama Alwohaibi

    (Department of Financial Sector Development, Saudi Central Bank, P.O. Box 2992, Riyadh 11169, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Over the last two decades, the regulators of the financial services sector in Saudi Arabia have aimed to develop a level of fair competition in the provision of banking services across the country. This paper utilizes non-structural approaches, the H-statistic developed by, and the Granger causality test. The second approach involves determining the Granger-based causal relationship between banks’ cost efficiency and competition via data envelope analysis (DEA) using the generalized method of moments (GMM) panel. The study’s data were drawn from 11 traditional banks in Saudi Arabia, covering the period from 2015 to 2021 (yearly data). The results of the non-structural approach, i.e., the H-statistic, demonstrate that the average fund rate had a positive effect on competition; however, the physical capital price index, the index of leverage, and the credit risk negatively affect the total revenue. Furthermore, a positive H-statistic value reflects the positive causality between competition and cost efficiency (higher efficiency results in a higher level of competition). The DEA results indicate that competition in the year 2021 was influenced by the competition level of the previous year (2020); moreover, the relationship between the previous year’s cost efficiency Granger value, the greater availability, and the lower prices of banking products had a significant influence on the competition in the years under consideration (since a positive significant result from the test is available), which reflects the higher level of market structure and the greater availability and lower prices of banking products. Cost efficiency in the year 2021 was also positively influenced by the cost efficiency level of the previous year (2020), with competition forcing efficiency via the cutting of costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Hind Alnafisah & Lama Alwohaibi, 2024. "The Cost Efficiency and Competition Relationship: Evidence from Saudi Arabian Banks and Non-Structural Approaches to Analysis," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:12:y:2024:i:1:p:15-:d:1313968
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/12/1/15/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/12/1/15/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mamatzakis, E & kalyvas, a, 2013. "Regulations, Economic Freedom and Bank Performance: Evidence from the EU-10 Economies," MPRA Paper 51878, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Michael L. Polemis, 2015. "Does Monopolistic Competition Exist In The Mena Region? Evidence From The Banking Sector," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(S1), pages 74-96, December.
    3. Albaity, Mohamed & Mallek, Ray Saadaoui & Noman, Abu Hanifa Md., 2019. "Competition and bank stability in the MENA region: The moderating effect of Islamic versus conventional banks," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 310-325.
    4. Kaliyev Kalizhan Sagatbekovich & Mira Nurmakhanova, 2021. "Bank Regulation in the Economies in Transition," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, November.
    5. Schaeck, Klaus & Čihák, Martin, 2008. "How does competition affect efficiency and soundness in banking? New empirical evidence," Working Paper Series 932, European Central Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chan, Sok-Gee & Koh, Eric H.Y. & Zainir, Fauzi & Yong, Chen-Chen, 2015. "Market structure, institutional framework and bank efficiency in ASEAN 5," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 84-112.
    2. El Moussawi, Chawki & Mansour, Rana, 2022. "Competition, cost efficiency and stability of banks in the MENA region," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 143-170.
    3. Issa, Samah & Girardone, Claudia & Snaith, Stuart, 2022. "Banking competition, convergence and growth across macro-regions of MENA," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 534-549.
    4. Chaffai, Mohamed & Coccorese, Paolo, 2023. "Banking market power and its determinants: New insights from MENA countries," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    5. Zouaoui, Haykel & Zoghlami, Feten, 2020. "On the income diversification and bank market power nexus in the MENA countries: Evidence from a GMM panel-VAR approach," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    6. Risfandy, Tastaftiyan & Tarazi, Amine & Trinugroho, Irwan, 2022. "Competition in dual markets: Implications for banking system stability," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    7. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2019. "Size, efficiency, market power, and economies of scale in the African banking sector," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 5(1), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Mamonov, Mikhail, 2012. "The impact of market power of Russian banks on their credit risk tolerance: A panel study," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 28(4), pages 85-112.
    9. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2019. "Testing the Quiet Life Hypothesis in the African Banking Industry," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 69-82, March.
    10. Emmanuel Tsiritakis, 2017. "Competition and Efficiency in EU Banking," SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, University of Piraeus, vol. 67(2), pages 3-25, April-Jun.
    11. Cândida Ferreira, 2012. "Bank market concentration and efficiency in the European Union: a panel granger causality approach," Working Papers Department of Economics 2012/03, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    12. Fujiwara Kenji, 2020. "The Effects of Entry when Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly Coexist," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 20(2), pages 1-11, June.
    13. Polemis, Michael L. & Fafaliou, Irene, 2015. "Electricity regulation and FDIs spillovers in the OECD: A panel data econometric approach," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 110-123.
    14. Paolo Coccorese & Alfonso Pellecchia, 2010. "Testing the ‘Quiet Life’ Hypothesis in the Italian Banking Industry," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 39(3), pages 173-202, November.
    15. Bornemann, Sven & Kick, Thomas & Memmel, Christoph & Pfingsten, Andreas, 2012. "Are banks using hidden reserves to beat earnings benchmarks? Evidence from Germany," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 2403-2415.
    16. Laowattanabhongse, Sanhapas & Sukcharoensin, Sorasart, 2017. "The Linkage between Bank Competition and Stability: New International Evidence," Asian Journal of Applied Economics, Kasetsart University, Center for Applied Economics Research, vol. 24(2), November.
    17. Asongu, Simplice & Batuo, Enowbi & Nwachukwu, Jacinta & Tchamyou, Vanessa, 2018. "Is information diffusion a threat to market power for financial access? Insights from the African banking industry," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 88-104.
    18. Colesnic, Olga & Kounetas, Konstantinos & Michael, Polemis, 2020. "Estimating risk efficiency in Middle East banks before and after the crisis: A metafrontier framework," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    19. Cañón, Carlos & Cortés, Edgar & Guerrero, Rodolfo, 2022. "Bank competition and the price of credit: Evidence using Mexican loan-level data," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 56-74.
    20. Kofi Adjei-Frimpong & Christopher Gan & Baiding Hu, 2013. "Efficiency And Competition In The Ghanaian Banking Industry: A Panel Granger Causality Approach," Annals of Financial Economics (AFE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 8(01), pages 1-16.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:12:y:2024:i:1:p:15-:d:1313968. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.