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Factors Affecting Dividend Decisions in Ethiopian Private Commercial Banks: A Systematic Literature Review

Received: 19 September 2025     Accepted: 30 September 2025     Published: 3 December 2025
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Abstract

This systematic literature review examines existing research on Dividend Decisions among private commercial banks in Ethiopia, aiming to identify critical research gaps and evaluate the current state of knowledge to offer guidance for future investigations. The review included sixteen relevant scholarly articles, primarily gathered through open search engines and databases, and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework with clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, ensuring methodological rigor. Findings reveal several significant limitations. Most studies focus on a narrow range of internal financial variables, yielding low citation rates, which suggests a nascent field with limited cumulative knowledge. A predominant reliance on quantitative research methods, typically employing econometric models, highlights a substantial gap in qualitative studies. These could provide deeper, invaluable insights into managerial perspectives, strategic rationales, and the nuanced human factors driving dividend decisions, offering a more holistic understanding. While internal factors like profitability, liquidity, and leverage are emphasized, there is a marked lack of attention to broader macroeconomic variables-such as inflation, interest rates, or central bank regulations-that influence banks' dividend policies and risk appetites. Furthermore, some variables investigated yield conflicting results, leading to ambiguity regarding how banks make dividend decisions and the factors shaping their corporate financing behaviors. This inconsistency hinders the development of robust theoretical frameworks and practical guidelines. Therefore, the review strongly suggests that future research integrate qualitative methodologies to capture managerial insights and explore the strategic dimensions of dividend decision-making. Concurrently, it advocates for a broader inclusion of macroeconomic perspectives to better understand contextual influences. By addressing these identified gaps, future studies can significantly enhance comprehension of the complexities influencing dividend policies in Ethiopian private commercial banks, thereby informing both academic inquiry and practical decision-making for the banking sector.

Published in International Journal of Finance and Banking Research (Volume 11, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11
Page(s) 121-128
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Dividend Decisions, Banks, Systematic Literature Review, Profitability, Dividend Theories

References
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[2] Beal, D. J., & Gresham, L. G. (2006). The influence of dividend policy on share price volatility: Evidence from the Australian stock market. The Journal of Banking and Finance, 30(4), 1134-1151.
[3] Bornmann, L., & Daniel, H. D. (2008). What do citation counts measure? A review of studies on citing behavior. Journal of Documentation, 64(1), 45-80.
[4] Cheng, L., Hui, H., San, J. P., & Tuyet, N. H. (2022). Exploring the determinants of company’s dividend payout policy in the Vietnamese stock market. Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, 12(2).
[5] Cresswell, J. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approach (4th ed.). University of Nebraska Sage Publication.
[6] DeAngelo, H., DeAngelo, L., & Stulz, R. M. (2006). Dividend policy and the earned/contributed capital mix: A test of the life-cycle theory. Journal of Financial Economics, 81(2), 227- 254.
[7] Dhanani, A. (2005). Corporate dividend policy: The views of British financial managers. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 32(7-8), 1625-1672.
[8] Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (2001). Disappearing dividends: Changing firm characteristics or lower propensity to pay? Journal of Financial Economics, 60(1), 3-43.
[9] Felix, B., Ebenezer, & Sunday, M. O. (2015). Critical evaluation of the determinants of dividend policy of the banking sector in Nigeria. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 3(2).
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[17] Mollah, S. (2011). Do emerging market firms follow different dividend policies? Empirical investigation on the pre-and post-reform dividend policy and behavior of Dhaka Stock Exchange listed firms. Studies in Economics and Finance.
[18] Murage, G., & Emba, F. (2019). Relationship between dividend policy and financial performance of manufacturing and allied firms listed at Nairobi Securities Exchange. International Academic Journal of Economics and Finance, 3(4), 99-98.
[19] Nguyen, T. T. N., & Bui, P. K. (2019). Dividend policy and earnings quality in Vietnam. Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies, 26(2), 301-312.
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  • APA Style

    Dinka, S. T., Lakew, D. M. (2025). Factors Affecting Dividend Decisions in Ethiopian Private Commercial Banks: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Finance and Banking Research, 11(6), 121-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11

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    ACS Style

    Dinka, S. T.; Lakew, D. M. Factors Affecting Dividend Decisions in Ethiopian Private Commercial Banks: A Systematic Literature Review. Int. J. Finance Bank. Res. 2025, 11(6), 121-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11

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    AMA Style

    Dinka ST, Lakew DM. Factors Affecting Dividend Decisions in Ethiopian Private Commercial Banks: A Systematic Literature Review. Int J Finance Bank Res. 2025;11(6):121-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11,
      author = {Solomon Terfasa Dinka and Deresse Mersha Lakew},
      title = {Factors Affecting Dividend Decisions in Ethiopian Private Commercial Banks: A Systematic Literature Review
    },
      journal = {International Journal of Finance and Banking Research},
      volume = {11},
      number = {6},
      pages = {121-128},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijfbr.20251106.11},
      abstract = {This systematic literature review examines existing research on Dividend Decisions among private commercial banks in Ethiopia, aiming to identify critical research gaps and evaluate the current state of knowledge to offer guidance for future investigations. The review included sixteen relevant scholarly articles, primarily gathered through open search engines and databases, and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework with clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, ensuring methodological rigor. Findings reveal several significant limitations. Most studies focus on a narrow range of internal financial variables, yielding low citation rates, which suggests a nascent field with limited cumulative knowledge. A predominant reliance on quantitative research methods, typically employing econometric models, highlights a substantial gap in qualitative studies. These could provide deeper, invaluable insights into managerial perspectives, strategic rationales, and the nuanced human factors driving dividend decisions, offering a more holistic understanding. While internal factors like profitability, liquidity, and leverage are emphasized, there is a marked lack of attention to broader macroeconomic variables-such as inflation, interest rates, or central bank regulations-that influence banks' dividend policies and risk appetites. Furthermore, some variables investigated yield conflicting results, leading to ambiguity regarding how banks make dividend decisions and the factors shaping their corporate financing behaviors. This inconsistency hinders the development of robust theoretical frameworks and practical guidelines. Therefore, the review strongly suggests that future research integrate qualitative methodologies to capture managerial insights and explore the strategic dimensions of dividend decision-making. Concurrently, it advocates for a broader inclusion of macroeconomic perspectives to better understand contextual influences. By addressing these identified gaps, future studies can significantly enhance comprehension of the complexities influencing dividend policies in Ethiopian private commercial banks, thereby informing both academic inquiry and practical decision-making for the banking sector.
    },
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Factors Affecting Dividend Decisions in Ethiopian Private Commercial Banks: A Systematic Literature Review
    
    AU  - Solomon Terfasa Dinka
    AU  - Deresse Mersha Lakew
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11
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    JO  - International Journal of Finance and Banking Research
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    SN  - 2472-2278
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijfbr.20251106.11
    AB  - This systematic literature review examines existing research on Dividend Decisions among private commercial banks in Ethiopia, aiming to identify critical research gaps and evaluate the current state of knowledge to offer guidance for future investigations. The review included sixteen relevant scholarly articles, primarily gathered through open search engines and databases, and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework with clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, ensuring methodological rigor. Findings reveal several significant limitations. Most studies focus on a narrow range of internal financial variables, yielding low citation rates, which suggests a nascent field with limited cumulative knowledge. A predominant reliance on quantitative research methods, typically employing econometric models, highlights a substantial gap in qualitative studies. These could provide deeper, invaluable insights into managerial perspectives, strategic rationales, and the nuanced human factors driving dividend decisions, offering a more holistic understanding. While internal factors like profitability, liquidity, and leverage are emphasized, there is a marked lack of attention to broader macroeconomic variables-such as inflation, interest rates, or central bank regulations-that influence banks' dividend policies and risk appetites. Furthermore, some variables investigated yield conflicting results, leading to ambiguity regarding how banks make dividend decisions and the factors shaping their corporate financing behaviors. This inconsistency hinders the development of robust theoretical frameworks and practical guidelines. Therefore, the review strongly suggests that future research integrate qualitative methodologies to capture managerial insights and explore the strategic dimensions of dividend decision-making. Concurrently, it advocates for a broader inclusion of macroeconomic perspectives to better understand contextual influences. By addressing these identified gaps, future studies can significantly enhance comprehension of the complexities influencing dividend policies in Ethiopian private commercial banks, thereby informing both academic inquiry and practical decision-making for the banking sector.
    
    VL  - 11
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    ER  - 

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