Suchergebnisse

This paper aims to analyze the impact of prudential regulation on banking efficiency in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). Using system GMM estimator and panel data from 98 banks in WAEMU zone, we find that prudential regulation related to (i) Loan loss provisions (LLPR) positively affect banking efficiency. While (ii) Capital requirements (CAP); (iii) Liquidity requirements (LIQ); (iv) Loan restrictions (LOANR) and (v) Limits on leverage (LLV) negatively influence banking efficiency in the WAEMU zone. Moreover, we find that small and low-risk banks benefit in terms of efficiency, from stringent prudential regulation, while high-risk banks and large banks are the main losers. Similarly, we also find that, in the face of strict prudential regulation, government and domestic banks are inefficient, while the efficiency of foreign and privately managed banks improves. Overall, our findings support the idea that prudential regulation must be well calibrated and adapted to the specific characteristics of banks so that it does not impede banking efficiency and the proper functioning of the banking system, but also, by the same token, financial stability in the WAEMU zone.