Determinants of Zombie Banks in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies

Author/Editor:

Torsten Wezel ; Hannah Sheldon ; Zhengwei Fu

Publication Date:

February 23, 2024

Electronic Access:

Free Download. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary:

While deeply undercapitalized banks have been shown to misallocate credit to weak firms, the drivers of such zombie banks are less researched, particularly across countries. To furnish empirical evidence, we compile a dataset of undercapitalized banks from emerging markets and developing economies. We classify zombie banks as those not receiving remedial treatment by owners or regulators or, alternatively, remaining chronically undercapitalized. Using logit regressions, we find that country-specific factors are more influential for zombie status than bank characteristics, alhough some become significant when disaggreating by region. The paper’s overall findings imply the need for a proper regulatory framework and an effective resolution regime to deal with zombie banks more decisively.

Series:

Working Paper No. 2024/036

Subject:

Frequency:

regular

English

Publication Date:

February 23, 2024

ISBN/ISSN:

9798400267888/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA2024036

Format:

Paper

Pages:

36

Please address any questions about this title to publications@imf.org