Bank regulation, supervision and lending: empirical evidence from selected sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of bank regulation and supervision on bank credit in 23 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and their low- and middle-income groups from 1995 to 2017. The long-run results indicated that stringent entry barriers and supervisory power reduced bank lending, but supervisory power mitigated the negative effect of entry barriers. Furthermore, positive shocks to entry barriers impacted negatively on bank credit, while negative shocks to capital requirements had an adverse impact on lending. In the short run, positive shocks to entry barriers, activity restrictions and capital regulations led to increases in bank credit, particularly in low-income SSA economies.