This paper employs dynamic panel models to investigate the impact of country risk on the financial stability of banks in Africa. Using country risk and bank specific data for 10 African countries over the period of 2000 and 2021, the results reveal that African countries have a high country risk exposure. The country risk negatively and significantly affects African bank stability. The study findings suggest that compliance with at least Basel II capital requirements is needed to protect African banks from the negative effects of country risk on their stability in the short run. However, the adverse effects of prolonged country risk are mitigated by the compliance with higher Basel capital requirements in the long run. The results further show that an efficient legal and regulatory framework is essential to complement the capital buffer against country risk. Policies must be introduced to reduce country risk to enable African banks to adequately support the African economy in good and challenging times. Overall, country risk remains a threatening factor for bank stability, and consequently, banks need adequate capital to reduce the impact of country risk on bank stability in Africa.

Focusing on a panel sample of 41 commercial banks over the period of 2000-2018, this study examined the effect of capital adequacy on the resilience of commercial banks in Africa under changing Basel levels (II, III, and the proposed Basel IV). The study created sample representative banks for the proposed Basel IV and used two measures, namely Z-score and CAMELS, to capture bank resilience. Using the panel logistic regression and fixed effect model, we found that capital adequacy, liquidity, earnings management efficiency, and macroeconomic conditions are key determinants of the resilience of commercial banks in Africa. Additionally, Basel compliant banks tend to be less prone to macroeconomic factors. Based on the positive and significant impact of all Basel capital ratios on Zscore, the results suggest that a high level of capital requirements increases African banks' resilience, and banks with higher capital can absorb risk exposures.

Bank lending is a major source of income for a bank. Compliance with higher Basel capital requirements (CAR) portends serious implication for distribution of loan portfolio across different sectors. The objective of the study is to examine African banks’ responses to higher CAR in terms of portfolio shift. The study used descriptive statistics and ANOVA for panel data of African commercial banks that have implemented Basel II or III CAR for the period 2000 and 2018. Based on the results of our analysis, implementation of higher Basel CAR by African banks revealed four key findings. Firstly, our results suggest that higher Basel CAR particularly Basel III reduced total loans for South African banks. Secondly, African banks engage in portfolio shift with higher Basel levels. Thirdly, higher Basel capital increased banks' capital ratios in Africa, but some banks are still characterized by low equity. Fourthly, African banks reduce lending to high risk-weighted loans such as real estate and commercial loans except for South African banks which increased lending to commercial loans with higher Basel CAR. Lastly, this study proffers key insight into the lending behaviour of African banks with the implementation of higher Basel CAR.

Securitization has been used as a tool for bank funding, liquidity, risk management, and performance for over two decades. However, securitization activities were negatively affected by the recent financial crises, which led to stricter regulations of banks’ off-balance-sheet activities. This study examined the possible impacts of the Basel IV capital requirements on securitization activities and the performance of commercial banks in South Africa if implemented. The study used aggregated financial data of selected South African commercial banks to create a sample representative projection as if the selected banks had implemented the Basel IV capital requirements between 2002 and 2018. The simulated data were analyzed and compared to Basel III data using panel data analysis under certain assumptions, while other conditions held constant. The results revealed that the implementation of the Basel IV capital requirements will have a significant positive impact on securitization activities of commercial banks in South Africa. However, higher capital requirements of Basel IV may have no significant impact on performance of securitizing banks but it can protect banks from securitization exposure.

This study investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the performance of African banks, utilising a panel of 35 publicly listed commercial banks from seven African countries over the period from 2000 to 2022. A fixed-effect estimation model was employed to analyse the data, revealing that EPU has a detrimental effect on bank performance in Africa. Additionally, a significant increase in non-performing loans was observed during periods of heightened EPU. The findings also indicate that bank size negatively impacts performance, whereas adequate capital buffers enhance bank performance during stress periods. These results underscore the importance of management efficiency, risk assessment, and capital adequacy in ensuring the robust performance of African banks. It is recommended that policymakers and regulators bolster the capital levels of African banks to fortify the sector. Moreover, the formulation of stable and non-disruptive economic policies is crucial to mitigate the adverse effects of EPU on the African banking sector.

This research examines the potential impact of Basel IV capital requirements (CAR) on bank lending ability in Africa. To achieve the objective, the study simulated Basel IV capital ratio using historical data to create sample representative banks as if the selected banks had implemented Basel IV CAR for the period 2000 and 2018 and used actual data for existing Basel II and III CAR. Dynamic panel regression analyses, namely the System GMM and P-ARDL, were utilised. First, our results suggest that higher Basel CAR, particularly the new Basel IV, portends short-term negative impacts on bank lending while the long-term impact on bank lending is favorable. Second, the weight of non-performing loans tends to decline as banks transitioned from lower to higher Basel CAR. Lastly, this study shows that complying with Basel IV CAR will help African banks to achieve financial deepening and increase bank lending ability.