Digital Transformation and Banking Profitability: The Mediating Role of Operational Efficiency

Banafsa  Ayudyanita; Dwi  Ratmono

doi:10.33395/owner.v10i4.3657

Authors

Banafsa Ayudyanita
✉ Corresponding author: banafsa24@gmail.com Universitas Diponegoro
Dwi Ratmono Universitas Diponegoro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33395/owner.v10i4.3657

Keywords:

BOPO, Digital Transformation, Operational Efficiency, Profitability, ROA

Abstract

This study empirically examines how digital transformation influences bank profitability, with operational efficiency as a mediating variable, in commercial banks listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during the 2020–2024 period. The rapid expansion of digital banking and increasing competition from fintech companies have encouraged banks to intensify technology investments, raising questions regarding whether digitalization improves profitability directly or through operational efficiency gains. Therefore, this study aims to analyze both the direct and indirect effects of digital transformation on bank profitability. Using purposive sampling, 31 banks were selected, resulting in 155 panel data observations across five years. The analysis employed panel data regression in EViews 13 while a cluster bootstrap approach with 5.000 replications was applied to evaluate the mediating effect. The findings indicate that digital transformation has a positive and significant direct effect on profitability (ROA). However, digital transformation does not significantly affect operational efficiency (BOPO), while BOPO negatively and significantly affects ROA. Furthermore, the bootstrap test confirms that operational efficiency does not mediate the relationship between digital transformation and profitability. These findings suggest that digitalization primarily enhances bank profitability through revenue expansion rather than cost efficiency.

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