Analysis of Determinants of Profitability of Commercial Banks in Botswana

This study had dual purposes: (1) to examine relationship between profitability and internal and external factors of commercial banks in Botswana and (2) to perform trend analysis of factors indicating banks’ performance. The study analysed the secondary data obtained from Bank of Botswana reports. Profitability measures were return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and net interest income (NIM) as dependent variables. The independent variables comprised internal factors: bank liquidity, capital adequacy, credit risk, bank size, market profit opportunity, cost efficiency, and bank diversification as well as the external factors: economic growth, inflation and bank interest. We utilised regression technique to analyse the relationship between bank performance and internal and external variables presented in 3 models: ROA, ROE and NIM. The results suggest that ROE is the best measure of the bank profitability followed by ROA and NIM. The combination of inflation, cost efficiency, bank liquidity, credit risk, market profit opportunity and bank diversification was the best predictor of bank profitability as represented by ROE. The implications drawn from this study are that banks should match their operating expenses with revenue growth, and try to strike a balance between asset, liquidity, and liability management in order to remain competitive and earn higher profits. As for the regulator, effective controls should be placed on deposit rates, bank charges, inflation and banks rates.