Financial innovation characteristics and banking performance: The mediating effect of risk management

Several studies dealing with the direct relationship between financial innovation and bank performance have reported mixed results. The risk management incurred by the bank, as a mediating variable in this relationship, has not been investigated by researchers. In this context, the present work contribution consists in highlighting the important role of risk management to explain the interaction between financial innovation characteristics and bank performance. The present work is conducted concerning a sample involving seven privately owned Tunisian banks, relevant to the period ranging from 2009 to 2018. The hierarchical multiple regressions analysis turns out to indicate the noticeable effect of risk management on the relationships binding financial innovation characteristics (the risk level, innovations' horizon and specificity) and banking performance. In fact, private Tunisian banks appear to respond positively to the banking products and service-associated technological developments, in a bid to effectively manage bank risks and promote banking performance.