Level and Determinants of Foreign Bank Efficiency in a Pacific Island Country

Abstract

This study fills a huge gap in literature by providing some evidence on the level and determinants of bank efficiency in a Pacific island context. DEA results show that overall efficiency levels may be lower than in Australia, the home country of major banks. Dynamic GMM and panel data results show that personnel expenses and bank credit matter for efficiency, but not other bank-specific and macroeconomic factors. These insights substantially improve policy-making capacities for Fiji and other Pacific economies, including Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu where banking and regulatory systems and structures are highly comparable.