The Impact of Financial Sector Reforms on Banks Performance in Nigeria

This study examined the impact of financial reforms on banks' organizational performance in Nigeria between 1995 and 2004. It specifically determined the effects of policies of interest rates deregulation, exchange rate reforms and bank recapitalization on banks performance, and analyzed how banks internal characteristics and industry structure affect the performance of Nigerian banks. The study utilized panel data econometrics in a pooled regression, where time-series and cross-sectional observations were combined and estimated. The result of econometric panel regression analysis confirmed that the effects of government policy reforms, bank specific characteristics and industry structure has mixed effects on banks profitability level and net interest margin of Nigerian banks. Bank specific characteristics appear to have significant positive influence on bank's profitability and efficiency level, while industry stricture variables appeared not to have contributed meaningfully to the profitability and efficiency performance of banks in Nigeria