Analysis of the factors affecting bank profitability: Evidence of Tanzania commercial banks

Abstract

Only a successful and consistent banking sector can play the role of financial intermediary in the economy properly. As an intermediary in the modern economy, the bank must be profitable. The general aim of this study focuses on analyzing the factors that influence the profitability of private and public commercial banks in Tanzania. By the use of annual time series internal and external data for the period 2013 to 2019, and a quantitative approach methodology using GMM technique analysis of the impact of the selected determinants was made. The results from bank-internal variables comprised of four statistically significant variables which are capital adequacy, asset quality, loan composition, and cost efficiency while the rest is insignificant. Likewise, the macro-economic determining factors (growth domestic product (GDP) and inflation rate) were found to be non-significant. The empirical results have shown that profitability is more explained by bank-specific determinants that are directly controlled by the management than the macroeconomic factor variables which are beyond the reach of management control.