Abstract
This study inspects the factors affecting liquidity of the
state-owned banks in Bangladesh from 2013 to 2022, concentrating on the impact
of bank size, non-performing loans, capital adequacy ratio, cost-to-income
ratio, return on equity, and cash reserve ratio. We have constructed panel data
and conducted linear regression where non-performing banks' liquid assets
(lnLIQ) are the dependent variable. To check the robustness of the study, we
used another liquidity proxy, the current ratio (CRO). The results propose a
positive relationship between bank size and liquidity, indicating that larger
banks are inclined to hold more liquidity, potentially due to their capacity to
access various funding sources. Non-performing loans (NPL) negatively impact
liquidity, as banks with higher NPLs face increased credit risk, which compels
them to allocate more resources to cover loan losses, reducing liquidity. The
capital adequacy ratio (CAR) is positively related to liquidity with
statistical significance, whereas the cost-to-income ratio (CIR) has a negative
relationship. The outcomes indicate that higher capital reserves create
liquidity buffers to manage financial risks, while higher operational costs
reduce liquidity. The study provides insight into how to deal with operational
efficiency and manage liquidity in state-owned banks in Bangladesh. This may
help policymakers make prudent decisions on regulations and implement them
successfully in the state-owned banks of Bangladesh.
JEL classification numbers: G21, C33, E44.
Keywords: Bank liquidity, Efficiency, Non-performing loans, State-owned,
Current ratio.