Credit Risk and Universal Banking: Evidence from the Banking Industry in Ghana

Using a dynamic panel data and an Arellano-Bond estimation technique, we estimate the determinants of credit risk and the effect of the introduction of universal banking licence on credit risk in the banking industry of Ghana. We find that the effect of universal banking policy on credit risk in the banking industry depends on the definition of credit risk. Using total loan to total asset ratio as a proxy for credit risk, we observe a positive effect of universal banking policy on credit risk in all our models, indicating that universal banking policy has the potential of increasing credit risk. However, there is a mixed and weak effect of universal banking policy on credit risk when we define credit risk as bad debt to total loan ratio. Also, we find that both bank-specific and macroeconomic variables do explain credit risk in the banking industry of Ghana.