Research Article

Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries

Volume: 9 Number: 2 October 29, 2026
EN TR

Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries

Abstract

This study examines the effect of financial efficiency in the banking and insurance sectors on economic growth in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The analysis uses annual country-level data for 2010-2021. A two-stage empirical strategy is employed. First, efficiency scores for the banking and insurance sectors are estimated through stochastic frontier analysis. Second, the effects of these scores on economic growth are examined across different points of the growth distribution using panel quantile regression. The findings indicate that insurance sector efficiency supports economic growth mainly at the lower and median growth quantiles. The effect of banking sector efficiency is more limited and becomes relatively more visible at the median quantile. Overall, the results show that the growth effect of financial efficiency varies across the growth distribution and that the banking and insurance sectors do not contribute to economic performance in the same way.

Keywords

Financial Efficiency, Banking Sector, Insurance Sector, Economic Growth, Panel Quantile Regression

Supporting Institution

No financial support was received from any institution during the preparation of this manuscript.

Ethical Statement

This study uses secondary and publicly available country-level data; therefore, ethics committee approval is not required.

References

  1. Abdullahi, A., Ibrahim, S., Hook, L. S., & Wan Ngah, W. A. S. W. (2023). Impact of financial integration on economic development: A dynamic panel quantile regression analysis. Journal of Economic Integration, 38(4), 628–645. https://doi.org/10.11130/jei.2023.38.4.628
  2. Aigner, D., Lovell, C. A. K., & Schmidt, P. (1977). Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models. Journal of Econometrics, 6(1), 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(77)90052-5
  3. Apergis, N., & Poufinas, T. (2020). The role of insurance growth in economic growth: Fresh evidence from a panel of OECD countries. The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 53, 101217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2020.101217
  4. Arena, M. (2008). Does insurance market activity promote economic growth? A cross-country study for industrialized and developing countries. The Journal of Risk and Insurance, 75(4), 921–946. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6975.2008.00291.x
  5. Arestis, P., Demetriades, P. O., & Luintel, K. B. (2001). Financial development and economic growth: The role of stock markets. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 33(1), 16–41. https://doi.org/10.2307/2673870
  6. Ariefianto, M. D., Nur, T., Modjo, M. I., & Warganegara, D. L. (2026). Bank intermediation inefficiency responds to macroeconomic shocks in Indonesia. Discover Sustainability, 7, 182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-02574-y
  7. Berger, A. N., & Humphrey, D. B. (1997). Efficiency of financial institutions: International survey and directions for future research. European Journal of Operational Research, 98(2), 175–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(96)00342-6
  8. Berger, A. N., & Mester, L. J. (1997). Inside the black box: What explains differences in the efficiencies of financial institutions? Journal of Banking & Finance, 21(7), 895–947. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4266(97)00010-1
  9. Bortoluzzo, A. B., Ciganda, R. R., & Bortoluzzo, M. M. (2024). Determinant factors of banking profitability: An application of quantile regression for panel data. Future Business Journal, 10(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-024-00347-z
  10. Breusch, T. S., & Pagan, A. R. (1980). The Lagrange multiplier test and its applications to model specification in econometrics. The Review of Economic Studies, 47(1), 239–253. https://doi.org/10.2307/2297111
APA
Deniz, G. (2026). Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, 9(2), 100-109. https://doi.org/10.38057/bifd.1955341
AMA
1.Deniz G. Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;9(2):100-109. doi:10.38057/bifd.1955341
Chicago
Deniz, Gülhan. 2026. “Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries”. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi 9 (2): 100-109. https://doi.org/10.38057/bifd.1955341.
EndNote
Deniz G (October 1, 2026) Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi 9 2 100–109.
IEEE
[1]G. Deniz, “Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries”, Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 100–109, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.38057/bifd.1955341.
ISNAD
Deniz, Gülhan. “Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries”. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi 9/2 (October 1, 2026): 100-109. https://doi.org/10.38057/bifd.1955341.
JAMA
1.Deniz G. Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;9:100–109.
MLA
Deniz, Gülhan. “Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries”. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 9, no. 2, Oct. 2026, pp. 100-9, doi:10.38057/bifd.1955341.
Vancouver
1.Gülhan Deniz. Financial Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth: Evidence from Banking and Insurance Sectors in OECD Countries. Bucak İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026 Oct. 1;9(2):100-9. doi:10.38057/bifd.1955341