An Assessment of Profitability and Efficiency of Commercial Banks in India

Abstract

Efficiency and stability of the banking sector is a pre-requisite to economic growth of the nation. The banking industry has undergone phenomenal transformation over the past six decades since independence. Banks have shifted from traditional methods of banking to newer modern systems. This has led to impressive growth of commercial banks in India. In the year 2007, financial crisis loomed over the global economy with severe adverse effects on many western economies. In comparison, India stood poised as the fastest growing emerging market economy in the face of turmoil and pessimism. Although India stood strong, many banks started witnessing a change in their growth path during the post global financial crisis period. The public sector banks witnessed major setbacks with decline in their financial performance. In this light, the objective of the study is defined; so as to determine the role of efficiency and profitability indicators on the performance of bank groups. The findings of the study reveal that foreign banks have shown outstanding profitability performance and excellent management efficiency. It is the private sector banks that have outperformed the competing bank groups in terms of earning efficiency. Public sector banks have lagged behind with deteriorating profitability and efficiencies during the analysis period.