Interaction between wealth management products and bank deposits: evidence from China's shadow banking
International Journal of Bank Marketing
ISSN: 0265-2323
Article publication date: 18 October 2021
Issue publication date: 1 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Shadow banking has been evolving rapidly in China, with banks actively using wealth management products (WMPs) to evade regulatory restrictions. These products are the largest constituent of China's shadow banking sector. A large number of these products are off-balance-sheet and considered a substitute for bank deposits. China's banking sector, especially the small and medium-sized banks (SMBs), uses these products to avoid regulatory restrictions and sustainability risk in the deposit market.
Design/methodology/approach
This study empirically examined how banks in China, specifically SMBs, utilize these products on a short and long-run basis to manage and control their deposit levels. This study utilized a quarterly panel dataset from 2010 to 2019 for the top 30 Chinese banks, by first implementing a Panel ARDL-PMG model. For cross-sectional dependence, this study further executed a cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributive lag model (CS-ARDL).
Findings
Under regulations avoidance theory, the findings revealed that WMPs and deposits have a stable long-run substitute relationship. Furthermore, the WMP–Deposit substitute relationship was only significant and consistent for SMBs, but not for large four banks. The findings further revealed that the WMP–Deposit substitute relationship existed, even after the removal of the deposit rate limit imposed by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) to control the deposit rates.
Research limitations/implications
The individual bank-issued WMPs' amount data is not available in any database. Therefore, this study utilized the number of WMPs as a proxy for China's banking sector's exposure to the wealth management business.
Practical implications
This research helps policymakers to understand the Deposit–WMP relationship from the off-balance-sheet perspective. During the various stages of interest rate liberalization, banks were given more control to establish their deposit and loan interest rates. However, the deposit rates are still way below the WMP returns, making WMPs more competitive. This research suggests that policymakers should formulate a more balanced strategy regarding deposit rates and WMPs returns.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature on China's shadow banking by concentrating on the WMPs. This research represents one of the few studies that analyze regulatory arbitrage in terms of the WMP–Deposit relationship. Moreover, the implementation of CS-ARDL panel data models and multiple data sources makes this study's findings more reliable and significant.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Syed Mehmood Raza Shah wishes to thank Professor Jianjun Li (Dean, School of Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing China) and Dr. Peng Liao (Tsinghua University, Beijing China) for their continuous support and guidelines. The authors also thank anonymous reviewers for the comments and suggestions.
Citation
Shah, S.M.R., Lu, Y., Fu, Q., Ishfaq, M. and Abbas, G. (2022), "Interaction between wealth management products and bank deposits: evidence from China's shadow banking", International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 40 No. 1, pp. 154-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-03-2021-0088
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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