Revisiting the impact of intrinsic financial risks on the firm value of banks in ASEAN-5 countries: A panel data approach

Abstract

The paper aims to explore the impact of financial risks on the firm value of banks in ASEAN-5 countries. The study used the panel data regression model to analyze the available data for 63 commercial banks in ASEAN-5 countries from 2009 to 2017, totaling 567 observations. GMM dynamic estimation was also used for robustness and comparison purposes. The financial risk was measured using the non-performing loans ratio (NPL), the loan to deposit ratio (LD), the liquid asset ratio (LATA), the cost to income ratio (CIR), and the net interest margin (NIM), while firm value was measured using the enterprise value. The study used controlled variables proxied by size, GDP growth and the inflation rate, while the correlation between credit risk and interest rate risk (CR•IR) was also determined. Given the results of the study, credit risk proxy by non-performing loans ratio has a significant positive effect on the firm value, the liquidity risk (LD) has a significant positive impact on the firm value of ASEAN banks, while LATA has a significant negative effect on the firm value. Operational risk (CIR) and interest rate risk (NIM) have a significant negative impact on the firm value of ASEAN-5 banks. Bank size and inflation rate significantly and negatively affect the firm value, while GDP growth is found to have a significant positive impact on the firm value of ASEAN-5 banks. An insignificant interaction is found between credit risk and interest rate risk (CR•IR). The GMM estimation also supported these findings. The results obtained will be an important signal for policy makers, which is useful for the effective mobilization and allocation of credits to productive areas and helps manage inherent risks. The study provides implications for all countries regarding the financial risks associated with the value of the firm. Therefore, this study offers new insights into this relationship by providing useful information to the academics, policy makers, governments, and other stakeholders and serves as a benchmark for further study in this area.