Public bank lending in Africa in times of crisis

This paper examines State-owned bank lending in Africa in times of crisis. We exploit a sample of 112 banks, including 24 State-owned banks, operating in 8 West African countries over the period 2000–2019. We focus on how bank ownership affects lending, during and after crises. Results indicate that, contrary to domestic-private banks, public banks continue to lend at the same rate during and slightly increase their lending after a crisis. The main explanation of the previous finding is the stability of State-owned bank resources. Finally, the countercyclicality of public banks does not affect their profitability or portfolio quality.
Citation

Léon F. (2023) "Public bank lending in Africa in times of crisis", Emerging markets review,  vol. 55, 101032, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2023.101032