Vol. 14 No. 3 (2026): Business & Management Studies: An International Journal
Articles

Derivatives use, bank risk and profitability: Panel evidence from Turkish commercial banks (2011-2024)

Zekeriya Gül
Asst. Prof. Dr, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Business Administration, Gaziantep, Türkiye

Published 2026-09-25

Keywords

  • Financial Derivatives, Bank Risk, Bank Profitability
  • Finansal Türevler, Banka Riski, Banka Kârlılığı

How to Cite

Derivatives use, bank risk and profitability: Panel evidence from Turkish commercial banks (2011-2024). (2026). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 14(3), 1228-1240. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v14i3.2768

How to Cite

Derivatives use, bank risk and profitability: Panel evidence from Turkish commercial banks (2011-2024). (2026). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 14(3), 1228-1240. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v14i3.2768

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between financial derivatives use, bank risk, and profitability by employing random-effects and cluster-robust random-effects models on panel data for 11 commercial banks operating in Türkiye over the 2011–2024 period. The findings from the bank risk model indicate that derivatives use does not have a statistically significant effect on bank risk. By contrast, the change in the loans-to-total-assets ratio is negatively associated with banks’ Z-scores, implying that increases in lending intensity are associated with higher bank risk. In addition, bank size is positively related to banks’ Z-scores, suggesting that larger banks tend to exhibit lower risk. In the profitability model, derivatives use is negatively associated with return on assets, although this effect weakens after the use of cluster-robust standard errors. The results also show that the cost-to-income ratio is negatively associated with profitability, whereas gross domestic product is positively associated with return on assets across model specifications. Overall, the findings suggest that derivatives do not play a decisive role in shaping bank risk and profitability in Turkish commercial banks, while bank-specific and macroeconomic factors appear to be more influential.

References

  1. Andrieș, A. M., Podpiera, A. M., & Sprincean, N. (2022). Central bank independence and systemic risk. International Journal of Central Banking, 18(1), 81–130.
  2. Baltagi, B. H. (2008). Econometric analysis of panel data (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  3. Bayri, E. (2023). Türev ürünlerin banka kârlılığı üzerine etkisi: Türk bankacılık sektörü uygulaması [The effect of derivatives on bank profitability: Implementation in the Turkish banking sector]. Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 5(1), 11–41. https://doi.org/10.56574/nohusosbil.1255034
  4. Bazih, J. H., & Vanwalleghem, D. (2021). Deriving value or risk? Determinants and the impact of emerging market banks’ derivative usage. Research in International Business and Finance, 56, Article 101379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2020.101379
  5. Bendob, A., Bentouir, N., & Bellaouar, S. (2015). The effect of financial derivative use on the performance of commercial banks: Empirical study in GCC countries during 2000–2013. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, 6(18), 87–93.
  6. Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye. (2023). Financial stability report. https://www.tcmb.gov.tr
  7. Chang, C.-C., Ho, K.-Y., & Hsiao, Y.-J. (2018). Derivatives usage for banking industry: Evidence from the European markets. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 51(4), 921–941. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-017-0692-3
  8. Ghosh, A. (2017). How do derivative securities affect bank risk and profitability? Evidence from the US commercial banking industry. The Journal of Risk Finance, 18(2), 186–213. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRF-09-2016-0116
  9. Hausman, J. A. (1978). Specification tests in econometrics. Econometrica, 46(6), 1251–1271. https://doi.org/10.2307/1913827
  10. Huan, X., & Parbonetti, A. (2019). Financial derivatives and bank risk: Evidence from eighteen developed markets. Accounting and Business Research, 49(7), 847–874. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2019.1618695
  11. Hull, J. C. (2022). Options, futures, and other derivatives (11th ed.). Pearson.
  12. Im, K. S., Pesaran, M. H., & Shin, Y. (2003). Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels. Journal of Econometrics, 115(1), 53–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(03)00092-7
  13. Infante, L., Piermattei, S., Santioni, R., & Sorvillo, B. (2018). Why do banks use derivatives? An analysis of the Italian banking system (Questioni di Economia e Finanza [Occasional Papers] No. 441). Banca d’Italia. https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/qef/2018-0441/QEF_441_18.pdf
  14. Jukonis, A. (2022). Evaluating market risk from leveraged derivative exposures (Working Paper Series No. 2722). European Central Bank. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpwps/ecb.wp2722~1e50e187df.en.pdf
  15. Köhler, M. (2018). An analysis of non-traditional activities at German savings banks: Does the type of fee and commission income matter? (Deutsche Bundesbank Discussion Paper No. 01/2018). Deutsche Bundesbank.
  16. Levin, A., Lin, C.-F., & Chu, C.-S. J. (2002). Unit root tests in panel data: Asymptotic and finite-sample properties. Journal of Econometrics, 108(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(01)00098-7
  17. Li, L., & Yu, Z. (2010). The impact of derivatives activity on commercial banks: Evidence from U.S. bank holding companies. Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, 17, 303–322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10690-010-9117-1
  18. Li, S., & Marinč, M. (2014). The use of financial derivatives and risks of U.S. bank holding companies. International Review of Financial Analysis, 35, 46–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2014.07.007
  19. Melecky, M., & Podpiera, A. M. (2013). Institutional structures of financial sector supervision, their drivers and historical benchmarks. Journal of Financial Stability, 9(3), 428–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfs.2013.03.003
  20. Miloș, M. C., & Miloș, L. R. (2022). Use of derivatives and market valuation of the banking sector: Evidence from the European Union. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 15(11), Article 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm15110501
  21. Pala, Y., & Hepşen, A. (2024). An investigation of the relationship between banks’ use of derivative products and sectoral and macroeconomic factors: An application on the Turkish banking sector. Journal of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Economics and Administrative Sciences Faculty, 11(4), 1518–1541. https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.1498572
  22. Resti, A., & Sironi, A. (2007). Risk management and shareholders’ value in banking: From risk measurement models to capital allocation policies. Wiley.
  23. Saunders, A., & Cornett, M. M. (2023). Financial institutions management: A risk management approach (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
  24. Tanrıöven, C., & Yenice, S. (2014). Bankaların türev araç kullanımlarının risklilik ve karlılık üzerine etkisi: Türkiye örneği [The effect of financial derivatives owned by banks on risk and profitability: The case of Turkey]. Gazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 16(3), 25–46.
  25. Taşkın, D., & Sarıyer, G. (2020). Use of derivatives, financial stability and performance in Turkish banking sector. Quantitative Finance and Economics, 4(2), 252–273. https://doi.org/10.3934/QFE.2020012
  26. The Banks Association of Türkiye. (2025). Banks in Türkiye 2024. https://www.tbb.org.tr/sites/default/files/kitaplar/banks-in-turkiye-2024.pdf
  27. Titova, Y., Penikas, H., & Gomayun, N. (2020). The impact of hedging and trading derivatives on value, performance and risk of European banks. Empirical Economics, 58(2), 535–565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-018-1545-1
  28. Turan, A., & Ersoy, H. (2024). Use of derivative instruments in the banking sector and its effects on the Turkish banking sector. Journal of Emerging Economies and Policy, 9(Special Issue), 120–129. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/joeep/article/1490951
  29. Wang, Y., Song, G., & Lu, Y. (2025). Derivatives holdings and bank systemic risk: Cross-country evidence. Borsa Istanbul Review, 25(4), 681–691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2025.03.006
  30. Xu, T., Hu, K., & Das, U. S. (2019). Bank profitability and financial stability (IMF Working Paper No. 2019/005). International Monetary Fund. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484390078.001