Regulatory Pressure, Market Discipline, and Bank Spreads in India: An Empirical Exploration

Employing data on commercial banks for 1992 to 2006, the paper examines the factors influencing bank spreads in India. The findings indicate that variations in bank size, composition of loan portfolio and bank liquidity are important determinants of bank margins. Second, the evidence is strongly supportive of the relative market power hypothesis. Finally, the evidence reveals that state-owned, de novo private and old private banks exhibit lower spreads as compared to their foreign counterparts. The analysis concludes with the policy implications of the aforesaid findings.