The study examined the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya for the period 2009–2020. The data were collected from audited financial statements of 39 commercial banks in Kenya. Regression results found strong evidence on ownership structures in explaining the differences in commercial banks’ financial performance. The results established that the greatest influence of ownership structures was on net interest margin at 53.04% and return on assets at 31.37%. Influence of ownership structures was found to be low on return on equity at 3.32% and earnings per share at 2.13%. The results found a negative association between state ownership and net interest margin, negative association between management ownership and both net interest margin and earnings per share, negative association between institutional ownership and return on assets and a negative association between foreign ownership and earnings per share. Based on the findings, commercial banks should vary their ownership structures to boost financial performance. Secondly, banks with high percentage of state ownership should consider partial privatization to improve corporate governance practices. Third, banks should adopt managerial ownership policy limiting the proportion of equity stock on executives to limit their powers in strategic decision making. Fourth, the study proposes a percentage limit on equity stock of an individual institutional investor. Lastly, the study proposes that bank’s management to come up with a policy detailing the role and place of foreign investors in strategic decision making to ensure their presence in every decision undertaken by bank managers.

Purpose: This study analyzed the moderating effect of bank size on the relationship between financial soundness and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya.Design/methodology/approach: The study employed data from 39 commercial banks for ten years from 2009 to 2018. Panel data regression model was used to analyze data.Findings: The study results established a negative moderating effect of bank size on the relationship between commercial banks' financial soundness and net interest margin (NIM) and return on assets (ROA) with the results indicating a correlation coefficient of −0.1699 and −0.218, respectively. However, an absence of moderating effect was established when return on equity (ROE) was used as a measure of financial performance.Practical implications: The paper finding recommends that banks' management and other policy makers should consider the effect of bank size while devising financial soundness policies to ensure optimal level of banks' financial soundness aimed at improving banks' financial performance. In addition, bankers associations should come up with policies to standardize asset quality management practices to ensure continuous positive performance of the banking sector.Originality/value: The study shows the contribution and applicability of the theory of production in the banking sector.

Purpose: The study aims to analyze the effect of financial soundness on financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya.Design/methodology/approach: The study used dynamic panel model to analyze data from commercial banks for the period 2009 to 2020. The study was modeled on the concept of CAMEL approach using five CAMEL variables as financial soundness indicators. Four indicators that is, net interest margin (NIM), earnings per share (EPS), return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) were used as measures of financial performance.Findings: Generalized method of moments results established that financial soundness had a statistically significant effect on NIM, ROA and ROE. It was also found that asset quality and earning quality had a statistically significant effect on net interest margin. In addition management efficiency had significant effect on ROE. However, the study established that capital adequacy, asset quality, earning quality and liquidity had a statistically insignificant effect on ROA and ROE respectively while capital adequacy, management efficiency and liquidity had statistically insignificant effect on NIM.Practical implications: Bank managers should put into place effective financial policies to govern changes in CAMEL variables to ensure optimal banks' financial soundness to facilitate positive growth in banks' financial performance.Originality/value: The current study is modeled on the concept of the CAMEL approach by employing the five CAMEL variables as financial soundness indicators. In addition, the study contributes to local literature by examining banks in a developing economy to provide reliable and relevant information on their differences to monitor their dynamics in financial soundness and financial performance which could not be provided by regional or global studies.

Firm value shows the performance of a firm while reflecting the present value of the firm’s future cashflows, hence affecting investment decisions. Therefore, this paper explores the relationship between asset structure, leverage, and firm value of 51 listed companies between 2010 and 2019 using secondary data collected from audited financial statements. The study applies panel data regression models and the causal-comparative research design. The quantitative data are analyzed using multiple regression. The result shows that plant, equipment, property, current, and financial assets influence the firm value positively. Nonetheless, the quotient of current to total assets was reported to yield the highest beta coefficient, implying that significant firm value creation is realized for every additional current asset held, weighed against the quotient of additional equipment, property, and plant to the value of total assets. Leverage had an insignificant influence on the value of firms, implying that no maximization of value is attainable in manufacturing firms through the astute use of borrowed funds. The study recommends that finance pundits consider firms’ asset structure and the use of borrowed funds when formulating financial and investment policies. The study enriches the scholarly world by developing a model for establishing the value of listed firms.

The paper assessed linkage amongst governance mechanisms and efficiency of insurers in Kenya over 8 year period from 2013 to 2020. The study estimated the efficiency of insurers using DEA approach in light of previous literature during the first stage. During the second stage, the bias-corrected efficiency scores were regressed against corporate governance (CG) proxies and control variables using SW (2007) approach on a sample of 53 insurers. Using this two-stage, bootstrapping SW approach, the study documents that the Kenyan insurers are technically inefficient. Overall, the paper presents evidence showing that CG variables influence technical efficiency of insurers in Kenya. Precisely, board independence, gender diversity and audit quality positively and significantly impact Kenyan insurers’ technical efficiency. Further, the paper finds that size of the board negatively affect Kenyan insurers’ technical efficiency. However, the study established insignificant relationship between CEO duality, intensity of board activities and technical efficiency. The paper makes contribution to the bourgeoning reservoir of empirical works on the insurers’ CG-efficiency nexus from an emerging market perspective. Particularly, the article offers empirical insights on some of the least studied CG proxies such as gender diversity, quality of audit and intensity of board activities. The research outcomes also have practical implications for regulators, academia, insurers, government policy makers, practitioners, shareholders and consumers of insurance products by raising their awareness on the influence of CG proxies on the efficiency of the insurers. This is especially beneficial in countries that are pursuing CG and efficiency policy reforms.