Income Diversification, Market Power and Performance

Abstract

This paper aims at examining the mediating role of market power on income diversification and performance nexus. Using 310 yearly observations drawn from a sample of 31 Kenyan commercial banks and panel data for the 2008–2017 periods, the study finds that market power significantly mediate the relationship between income diversification and performance. Thus, income diversification will have a larger impact on performance for banks with significantly high market power compared to those with low market power. Given the novelty of these findings, the study has implications for bank regulators, scholars and practitioners.