Studies on the determinants of bank stability conclude that bank-specific and external factors affect bank financial stability. However, most of these studies are conducted in developed countries, where Banks, on average, are richer and have more liquidity. This study evaluates the effect of bank-specific and external factors on Bank Stability in a least developed country—Ethiopia using commercial banks data from 2014 to 2020. By using Two-Step System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation, we find that bank lending rate, tangibility, GDP growth rate, control of corruption, and rule of law effectiveness stabilize bank financial stability. The effect is more pronounced for Banks with high market share of mobilized capital. On the other hand, bank concentration and bank efficiency reduce bank financial stability by about 2.51 and 0.97 units, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of historical level of bank stability has a positive and significant effect on current level of bank financial stability. The implication of this result is vital for policy-makers, as it explicitly suggests that keeping bank stability today has a vital role in achieving higher bank stability in the future.

An efficient bank is more robust to shocks, fosters competitiveness, and promotes stability of the financial system. This study estimates Ethiopia’s commercial banks’ level of efficiency and its determinants during the period 2014–2020. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Malmquist DEA, and Tobit regression were employed to analyze the data. The result indicated that the average efficiency score of banks in the constant returns to scale (CRS), variable returns to scale (VRS), and scale efficiency (SE) models were 95.5%, 99.85%, and 96.95% , respectively. Furthermore, in the VRS model, a state bank is more efficient than private banks. During the study period, the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of Banks improved by 1%. According to the Tobit model, the efficiency of banks grows with an increment in the number of branches, bank size, and credit risk. However, when, liquidity risk and the log of the fixed asset increase, bank efficiency will decrease. The level of capitalization, log of GDP, and inflation, on the other hand, do not influence bank efficiency. Therefore, banks should pay close attention to aspects that influence technical efficiency.

Deposit mobilization is the most important service and an integral part of banking operations. In Ethiopia, mobilizing savings through intense deposit collection has been regarded as the major task of banking. However, managing deposits is impossible without understanding and controlling the factors that influence them. Thus, this study examined the bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants of deposit mobilization in Ethiopian banking sectors using balanced panel data of 14 commercial banks from 2011 to 2020. Secondary data sources from sampled commercial bank audited financial statements were used to achieve the stated objective. A quantitative approach and explanatory design were employed. The model result demonstrated that loan to deposit ratio, capital adequacy, economic growth, inflation, population growth, and political stability have a negative and statistically significant effect on commercial bank deposit mobilization. On the other hand, the bank's profitability has a positive and statistically significant impact on commercial bank deposit growth. The study suggests that Ethiopian commercial banks need to improve deposit mobilization by paying more attention to internal factors controlled by management, while keeping in mind the influence of the overall economic and political dynamic. This study provides useful insights for bank managers, owners, analysts, policymakers, depositors, and other stakeholders on the deposit growth of commercial banks and its determinants. Meanwhile, academic researchers and students may use the findings and suggestions to conduct a study in the banking area. Unlike the previous studies, the present study examined the effect of population growth and political stability on deposit mobilization and contributes to the limited stock of existing knowledge in the area.

This study investigated the determinants affecting financial sustainability and profitability of saving and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) in Eastern Ethiopia using unbalanced panel data of 43 SACCOs from 2015 to 2019. To realise the stated objective, a quantitative approach and an explanatory design were employed using secondary data sources mainly from audited financial statements of the SACCOs during the study period. The analysis revealed that SACCOs in Eastern Ethiopia are not profitable but financially sustainable. The robust random effect model result shows that deposit mobilisation, loan-to-deposit ratio and managerial efficiency have a statistically significant and positive effect on the profitability of SACCOs, while operational efficiency has a statistically significant and negative effect. Likewise, the leverage ratio and the number of active borrowers (a proxy of breadth outreach) have a statistically significant and positive effect on the financial sustainability of SACCOs in Eastern Ethiopia. However, operational efficiency and size have a statistically significant but negative effect on SACCOs’ financial sustainability. Finally, the study suggests that SACCOs in Eastern Ethiopia should perform their conventional activities such as saving mobilisation and credit provision properly to be financially healthy.

This study investigated the bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants of commercial banks’ liquidity in Ethiopia using secondary unbalanced panel data. The empirical analysis is carried out through the use of the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation of dynamic panel data from 15 commercial banks from 2009–2019. The model result shows that lagged value of liquidity and deposit had a positive and statistically significant effect on commercial banks’ liquidity. On the other hand, capital adequacy, bank size, interest rate margin, and gross domestic product had a negative and statistically significant effect on the commercial bank’s liquidity. The study suggested that commercial banks in Ethiopia shall be more concerned about deposit mobilization to maintain a sufficient liquidity buffer and improve liquidity performance. Finally, the current study provides useful insights for bankers, analysts, regulators, investors, and other interested parties on the liquidity levels of Ethiopian commercial banks and their determinants and contributes to the scarce empirical evidence.

Lending is the primary role in commercial banks’ daily banking activities and is described as the heart of a commercial banks’ banking business. On the other hand, it is also one of the greatest sources of risk to the safety and soundness of financial institutions. There is little empirical evidence on bank lending behavior in emerging markets like Ethiopia. However, the existing studies have a difference in the identification of which factors have a strong impact and on the direction of those impacts if any on Ethiopian commercial banks’ lending. Thus, this study investigated the bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of commercial banks’ lending in Ethiopia using balanced panel data of 15 commercial banks from 2011 to 2019. To realize the stated objective quantitative approach and explanatory design were employed using secondary data sources from the audited financial statement of sampled commercial banks. The model result of the study indicated that bank-specific factors such as; volumes of deposit, capital adequacy, and bank size have a positive and statistically significant effect on bank lending. Industry-specific factors such as; cash reserve requirement, bank concentration, and average lending rate have a negative and statistically significant effect on bank lending. Likewise, one of the macro-economic variables gross domestic products has a negative and statistically significant effect on bank lending. The study suggested that commercial banks in Ethiopia have to manage their lending by giving more attention to the internal factors, which the management has control over in line with the banking industry rules and regulations recalling the influence of the general economic dynamic. I believe that this study is of interest to bankers, analysts, regulators, policymakers, and investors since it provides useful insight on the determinants of commercial banks’ lending and an understanding of how bank intermediation roles may respond to internal as well as external rules, regulations, and general economic dynamics, and it will contribute to the scarce empirical evidence.