Bank Competition, Efficiency, and Stability in Macau

Abstract

Macau has the uppermost population density and the fourth-highest GDP per capita in the world. Macau’s banking system is regarded as one of the most important indicators of Macau’s macroeconomic growth and stability during its transformation into a wealthy and modern metropolis. In this study, we use a sample of 26 banks to explore the relationship of bank competition, efficiency and stability in Macau from its return to China in 1999 to 2016. Our results demonstrate that bank competition does cause efficiency in Macau throughout the study period. We also find indications of a positive but not significant connection between bank market power and bank fragility including income volatility and insolvency risk. Moreover, this study finds no evidence that the size of operations proxied by total bank loans and total assets would impact bank efficiency, indicating that economies of scale or bank market share don’t necessarily bring about efficiency in Macau. Our evidence contributes to the literature by being the first to thoroughly examine the relation of bank competition, efficiency and stability in Macau. The findings provide meaningful implications to the practitioners and policymakers to make sound decisions accordingly, especially to closely monitor and maintain a proper level of competition in Macau’s banking sector.