The Profitability and Credit Risk of the Egyptian Banking Sector: Do Financial Technology Entrants have an Impact?

Authors

Rania Pasha, Business Department, Faculty of Business Administration, Economics and Political Science, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, EgyptFollow
Shaza Ayman Abdalla, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Egypt

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2023

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of fintech on the profitability and credit risk of 20 banks in Egypt for the period from 2017 to 2021. ROA and ROE are used to measure profitability in addition to Z-score as a measure of credit risk. Moreover, new fintech indicators are employed in this study, as measured by the growth in fintech funding volume, growth in the number of fintech startups, and growth in the number of fintech funding deals. Fintech has demonstrated its impact on the profitability and level of credit risk in banks in different countries. Nevertheless, to the authors’ knowledge, the impact of fintech startups on the profitability and credit risk level of the banking industry has not been examined before in Egypt. Since Egypt's fintech sector has recently experienced rapid growth, it becomes inevitable to examine its impact on one of the vital industries in the Egyptian economy - banking industry. Our findings support the significant impact of the examined fintech measures on bank profitability, but not on bank credit risk.

Recommended Citation

Pasha, R., & Abdalla, S. A. (2023). The Profitability and Credit Risk of the Egyptian Banking Sector: Do Financial Technology Entrants have an Impact? The Scientific Journal for Economics & Commerce, 53(4), 379-426.