Income diversification and bank performance nexus: Does corruption matter?

This study examines the impact of income diversification and corruption on banks’ performance. In particular, we focus on the impact of the extent of corruption in a country on the relationship between banks’ income diversification and performance. We utilize annual data on 715 banks from 52 countries in Africa over a period of eight years, 2011–2018. The results reveal that income diversification enhances banks' profit and risk-adjusted profit. On the other hand, corruption significantly reduces bank performance. We find that the positive impact of income diversification on performance is undermined in countries with a high level of corruption. We also examine the effect of corruption on the diversification–performance nexus across bank ownership groups using subsamples of local, regional African, and non-African banks. We find that corruption affects especially the operation of local and regional African banks, and affects less the operation of non-African banks. Our findings have essential implications for the regulation of banks and financial stability in general in African countries.