Does banking consolidation improve bank stability? Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the influence of banking consolidations on bank stability in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries for the period 2003-2019, following a series of bank mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the region and whether regulation-induced bank M&As affect banking sector stability. Design/methodology/approach - The fixed effect panel regression model is used to understand the influence of regulation-induced and voluntary bank mergers and acquisitions on banking stability in SSA. The study also controlled for bank-specific factors, market concentration and macroeconomic variables that affect banking stability. The study used three measures of bank stability: the Z-score, risk-adjusted return on assets and risk-adjusted bank capital. Findings - The study results reveal that voluntary bank M&As, market concentration, net interest margin, bank capital, bank deposits and income diversification influence banking sector stability positively. However, the findings show that regulation-induced bank mergers and acquisitions impact banking stability negatively. Where bank M&As were a result of banking regulatory reforms, called regulation-induced mergers and acquisitions (RIM&As), banking stability suffered, but voluntary bank M&As improved banking stability. Again, the study supports the concentration-stability argument w?>rather than the competition-stability hypothesis. Therefore, more concentrated banking markets in SSA countries have more stable banks and fewer risks of system-wide bank failures. Other factors influencing banking stability in SSA are return on equity, bank efficiency (cost-to-income), bank size and deposits-to-assets ratio. However, their relationship is negative with the stability of the banking sector. Practical implications - The findings imply that the regulatory authorities should encourage voluntary bank M&As and not regulation-induced bank M&As to improve the stability of the banking systems in SSA. Originality/value - The study provides new evidence on the effects of regulation-induced bank M&As on the stability of banks.