Dynamic of Risk Management and Intermediate Functions of Commercial Banks: The Supply Side Evidence from Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between risk management and financial intermediation of quoted commercial banks in Nigeria. Panel data were sourced from the Nigeria Stock Exchange for a period that spans 2009 to 2018. Financial intermediation was measured domestic credit of the commercial banks. Domestic credit was modelled as the function of Risk diversification, Basel compliance, risk transfer, credit securitization and risk retention and risk evaluation. Multiple regressions were formulated to ascertain the relationship between risk management and capital investment decision of commercial banks. Panel Unit root test was utilised to establish the stationarity of the data. Panel cointegration, and granger causality test analyse the data. The panel unit root test proved presence of unit root at first difference and concluded that the variables were integrated in the order of 1(I). The study found that, there is a significant relationship between risk management and domestic credit decision, of the quoted commercial banks. The panel cointegrations show the presence of long run relationship between the endogenous variables and the exogenous variables while the granger causality test found uni-directional causality among the variables. From the findings, the study concludes that risk management have significant relationship with domestic credit decisions of the commercial banks. The study recommends that to mitigate the riskiness of banking operations, more avenues for risk diversification should be explored. Although Basel compliance enhances domestic credit decision, its implementation should be done cautiously and in consideration of the intricacies and peculiarities of the Nigerian banking space, as it impinges on most domestic credit decisions.