Original Research

Surveying the reputation-regulation interface in the SABI industry: Perspectives of private banking customers

Samson Murimbika
South African Journal of Business Management | Vol 55, No 1 | a3901 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v55i1.3901 | © 2024 Samson Murimbika | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 20 January 2023 | Published: 27 February 2024

About the author(s)

Samson Murimbika, NWU Business School, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Abstract

Purpose: Bank reputations took a severe knock following the global financial crisis of 2007–2009. To get the global banking industry back on its feet, regulations existing at the time were strengthened and new ones were introduced. While the industry has come a long way in clawing back its reputation, research on the present state of reputations of some global banks suggests that these reputations are still underpinned by national regulators. In the South African context, it is not clear to what extent bank reputations are underpinned by the reputation of the main banking regulator: the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). This article looks at perceptions of private banking customers to ascertain whether they believe that bank reputations derive from the reputation of the regulator.

Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research methodology was applied. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from 111 banking customers using a Likert scale. Four hypotheses on reputation-regulation relationships were then tested using the non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.

Findings/results: The results show that regulation plays no role in how private banking customers perceive bank reputations.

Practical implications: This study highlights that there is little scope for banks to accrue ‘reputational rent’ by free riding on the reputation of the regulator. Banks must therefore take steps to proactively engage in their own reputation building exercises.

Originality/value: This research is the first to look at the reputation–regulation interface in the local banking industry from private banking customers’ perspective. It highlights that each bank must work hard to build the reputation it desires.


Keywords

corporate reputation; deregulated markets; global financial crisis; information asymmetry; regulation; stakeholders

JEL Codes

M00: General; M10: General; M19: Other

Sustainable Development Goal

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

Metrics

Total abstract views: 1032
Total article views: 1198

 

Crossref Citations

1. Bank Reputation and Trust: Impact on Client Satisfaction and Loyalty for Portuguese Clients
António Cardoso, Marta Cardoso
Journal of Risk and Financial Management  vol: 17  issue: 7  first page: 277  year: 2024  
doi: 10.3390/jrfm17070277