Competition and Profitability: Impacts on Stability in Chinese Banking

Abstract

This study contributes to the banking literature by testing the joint impacts of profitability and industry environment on several types of risk (credit risk, liquidity risk, capital risk, and insolvency risk) in a sample of Chinese commercial banks over the period 2003-2015. The results show that a more highly developed banking sector increases the liquidity risk and credit risk of Chinese commercial banks but decreases their capital risk. It is further suggested that profitability may lead to a reduction in credit risk and insolvency risk. The findings from the current study thus have important policy implications in terms of improving stability in the Chinese banking industry.