Structure, market power, and profitability: evidence from the banking sector in Latin America

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of market structure on the competition between banks and to determine whether competition affects their profitability in different countries in Latin America. The study also seeks to compare, between 16 countries in the continent, the levels of concentration, competition, and profitability of the respective banking sectors. This article fills the research gap regarding the structure and market power of banks in emerging countries, by comparing Brazil with the other countries in the continent. The topic is extremely important at a time of debate about the high interest rates in Brazil, the market structure observed, and the alleged effect of this on the high levels of spread between lending and borrowing rates. The research provides evidence for the debate regarding the structure of the banking industry. To evaluate competition, the Panzar-Rosse model was used. Concentration was measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and CR5 ratio. To verify the link between the variables, the hypotheses of the structure-conduct-performance model were tested, via a sample of 16 countries in Latin America, covering the period from 2011 to 2017, using panel data regression. This study, conducted for the banking industry in Latin America, rejected the premises of the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) model, which affirm that concentration reduces competition, causing higher profitability in the sector. In the comparison of the studied variables between the countries in the continent, Brazil presented the lowest competition index. The concentration and profitability assessments, in turn, presented results in line with the mean. The results of the research serve to elucidate the intense debate regarding the structure of the banking market. Moreover, they serve as a scientific basis for regulators’ actions, aiming to incentivize competition and reduce bank spread.