Financial and Macroeconomic Drivers of Bank Profitability

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the factors that affected the profitability of Greek systemic banks during the period 2009-2019. The authors initially review the findings of relevant international literature. Then, details of the methodology followed are provided and the variables that constitute the model are explained. Based on those, they investigate econometrically the factors that influenced banks' return on assets. The econometric analysis establishes that the ability of Greek systemic banks to generate profits through the use of their assets, during the period 2009-2019, was shaped under the influence of the debt crisis, which turned into a financial crisis, as well as specific financial and macroeconomic factors.