EVALUATING THE OPERATING EFFICIENCY OF COMMERCIAL BANKING SECTOR IN LAO PDR

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to explore the bank operating efficiency and to identify the factors that determine the operating efficiency of commercial banks in Lao PDR. First, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach is employed to compare efficiency between private and foreign banks. The results show that foreign banks have higher operating efficiency comparing to private banks under intermediation and operating activities. On the other hand, private banks are more efficient under value-added function than foreign banks. For the regression analysis, we employ the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model to analyze the determinants of bank efficiency using both internal (bank specifies) and external (macroeconomics) variables. The results indicate that cost control is vital for developing the efficiency of the banking sector in Lao PDR.