Impacto de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en la rentabilidad de la banca ecuatoriana. ¿amenaza u oportunidad?

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact that the growth of savings and credit cooperatives has on the profitability of private banks, using three key indicators: ROA, ROE, and gross interest margin. In addition, the effects on the main sources of income and expenses of commercial banks were analyzed. The research was based on an annual database of 22 Ecuadorian commercial banks, collected between 2015 and 2022. For the analysis, a dynamic panel estimation was used using three estimators: the difference estimator, the systems estimator, and the Roodman estimator. The main results reveal that the growth of the cooperative sector has had a positive effect on the profitability of banks, demonstrating a complementary relationship between both financial institutions. This is because cooperatives can serve market segments neglected by traditional banking, such as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as lowincome households. Although the impact of cooperatives on bank revenues is not conclusive, a negative impact on bank expenses has been observed. When analyzing this effect by bank size, it was found that only large banks benefit from such complementarity. This shows that the presence of cooperatives acts as a catalyst that drives banks to improve their operational efficiency. Therefore, cooperatives are strengthening a healthier, more competitive and efficient financial system.