Banking sector performance evaluation in Ethiopia for the period of growth and transformation plan (GTP-II): private vs public commercial banks

The main objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the financial performance of commercial banks in Ethiopia during the implementation of growth and transformation plan II. Moreover, determinants of financial performance were examined. The study was conducted using secondary data obtained from the National Bank of Ethiopia, and the official website of each commercial bank. Multiple panel regression and independent sample t tests were used to show the relationship and to compare the financial performance of commercial banks between the study periods. The ratio of non-interest expenses to total expense, log_net profit per employee, interest income to total income, and exchange rate were variables with a positive and significant effect on the financial performance of commercial banks, while log_total loans per branch and inflation affected negatively the financial performance measured by return on assets. Whereas, the ratio of debt to equity, log_net profit per employee, total liquid assets to total deposits, interest income to total income, and exchange rate have a positive and significant impact, while the ratio of loan loss provision to total loan, log_total loans per branch, and inflation negatively and significantly affected financial performance measured by ROE. The independent sample t test shows that except for the ratio of total loans to total deposits and total capital to total assets, the remaining variables did not show significant differences between state and publicly owned banks.