Factors influencing commercial bank profitability in Iraq: A quantile regression approach

Abstract

This study aims to empirically examine the influence of bank-specific determinants, macroeconomic factors, and governance factors on profitability in Iraq’s banking industry. In addition, bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants were included in the analysis. In terms of governance, the average of corruption control and rule of law was used. Different pre-estimation tests were used to check the properties of the data. The method of moment quantile regression was used as the baseline model. The PCSE and FGLS techniques were used for robustness checks. A sample of balanced panel data consisting of nine commercial banks listed on the Iraq stock exchange from 2012 to 2021 was selected. The results suggested that liquidity and total debt to total shareholders’ equity ratios have a significant positive relationship with ROA. Inflation and openness negatively impact bank profitability only at the 50th and 90th quantiles. Institutional governance appeared to be a positive and significant contributor to bank profitability. The findings suggest that a certain level of liquidity is required for a continuous increase in ROA. Moreover, institutional governance emerged as a noteworthy and positive factor influencing bank profitability.