Effect of Internationalization on Earnings Per Share in Deposit Money Banks in Selected African Countries

Abstract

Performance expectation and shareholders’ wealth creation have made banks to take their banking operations beyond their immediate local environments. Research has shown that banks take advantage of crossboarder activities to improve and increase their earnings and ultimately increase shareholders’ wealth maximization motive of the banks. There have been divergent results and opinions on the impact of banks’ foreign operations on the total performance of the banks. Consequently, in contributing to knowledge, this study examined the effect of internationalization on earnings per share in Deposit Money Banks in slected African countries. This research examined the impact of internationalization on earnings per share in deposit money banks in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya between 2007 and 2021 using expo facto research design. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select seventeen deposit money banks out of a population of seventy-one banks that had international operations authorization licences in the selected countries. Secondary dat were extracted from the published annual financial statements of the selected banks. The data were considered valid and reliable because of the independent opinions expressed on them by the various external auditors. The data were ananlysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result obtained from the multiple regression analysis suggested that internationalization exhibited a significant effect on earnings per share, (Ad jR² = 0.0145; F(5, 249) = 23.54; p<0.05). In addition, exchange rate significantly controlled the effect of internationalization on earnings per share (Adj. R² = 0.0285; F(6, 248) = 13.14; p<0.05. The study concluded that internationalization affected earnings per share in DMBs in selected African countries. The study therefore recommended that investors should be concerned and carefully evaluate the reasons for the banks going international. Also, policymakers, financial regulators and the government should not be in a haste approving internationalization banking authorizations to banks, when huge opportunities still subsist in the domestic level.