Does the country’s political and economic risks trigger risk-taking behavior in the banking sector: a new insight from regional study

This study specifically explores the effect of domestic political and economic risks on risk-taking in the banking sector for 105 countries operating in six various geographical regions between 2009 and 2017. To the best of our knowledge, this may be the first study that attempts to conduct this relationship from this perspective. Remarkably, the dynamic estimation results underscore that a rise in political and economic risks triggers risk-taking behavior in the banking sector globally, in particular in the OECD High-income region. Besides, the estimation results reveal that capital regulation, market power, and income diversification negatively impact risk-taking while credit risk, inefficiency, financial market development, and deposit insurance have a positive effect on risk-taking behavior. The results also stress that the extent of the effect of determinants and significance level vary by changing the region. The results are robust and have significant implications for policymakers and bank managers.