Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of ownership concentration on MENA banks’ performance over the period 2004-2011. The sample includes 38 commercial banks belonging to ten countries of the MENA region. We use an econometric method that deals with the endogeneity problems that have arisen in the corporate governance literature. We show that ownership concentration is significant in explaining performance differences between MENA banks. Our analysis shows that bank performance depends on the identity of large shareholder. Banks tend to exhibit higher levels of performance if their largest shareholder is foreign. However, we find a negative relationship between state ownership and bank performance.

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