Factors affecting the Risk-taking Behavior of Commercial Banks in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study examines the capital regulation, profitability, bank size, liquidity, off-balance sheet activities, charter value, dividend payout ratio and macroeconomic variables as determinants of bank risk (credit risk and overall risk) by using information from 30 Bangladeshi commercial banks over a period of 2005-2013. We use Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) in a balanced dynamic panel data framework. The empirical results show a negative relation between credit risk and capital regulation and a mixed relation between overall risk and capital regulation. We find a negative relation between credit risk and profitability and a positive relation between overall risk and profitability. The results also show that larger banks take higher credit and overall risk. It is also evident that off-balance sheet activities are positively related with both credit and overall risk. We also find that banks with high liquidity take more credit risk. Negative association is found between credit risk and charter value and mixed evidence is found on the relationship between charter value and overall risk. We also observe that dividend payout ratio is not an important factor of bank risk. With regard to the impact of macroeconomic variables we find no significant impact on risk. Finally we find that lagged risk is an important determinant of bank risk.