An Empirical Analysis of Bank-Specific and Macroeconomic Drivers Influencing Net Interest Margins of Turkish Listed Banks: Panel Data Evidence from Post-Crisis Era

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore both the bank-specific and macroeconomic drivers of net interest margins using panel data techniques for a sample of 12 deposit banks publicly traded on the Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange over the post-crisis period 2010-2015. Our panel data results suggest that while bank size and managerial efficiency affect net interest margins negatively and significantly, operating cost, credit risk, and implicit interest payments influence the NIMs positively and significantly in the post-crisis era. The results also imply that macroeconomic indicators such as economic growth and inflation do not have any significant effects on the NIMs.