Staff Directory

Prof Johan Coetzee
Position
Associate Professor
Department
Economics and Finance
Address
FGG 339
Economics and Finance
R4106
UFS
Telephone
0514019266
Office
Flippie Groenewoud Building: Block C 339
Information

Short CV

Prof Johan Coetzee (MCBI, CMBE) is an Associate Professor in Banking and Finance at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa. He is a Chartered Banker (MCBI) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, as well as a Senior Associate at the The Global Centre for Banking and Financial Innovation at Nottingham University’s Business School. He is also a Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE) at the Chartered Association of Business Schools in the United Kingdom and has published and presented over 40 papers in academic journals and conferences across the world in topics relating specifically to banking. 

Prof Coetzee is a specialist on developments in the South African banking industry, focusing specifically on the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on how banks interact and mitigate potential risk with their customers. This further includes the regulatory challenges facing South African banks amidst the threat of Fintech on their traditional operating models. He teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate subjects focusing on Financial Risk Management in Banking and Macroeconomic Analysis at the University of the Free State, its Business School, and the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in Austria. He has experience as a banker working for Nedbank in South Africa, most prominently as a Sovereign Risk Analyst at Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking.
 
In addition to serving as a member of the Senate at the University of the Free State, Prof Coetzee has received the Most Promising Researcher award at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS three times, and once the top achiever in teaching. He has published a book as the editor and main contributor entitled “Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective” which is the only book in South Africa focusing on the banking industry. This book was also listed on the reading list of the Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank in the Financial Mail magazine in December 2016.

Prof Coetzee has published several articles in the media in prominent South African newspapers focusing on developments in the South African banking industry, and been interviewed by radio stations such as SAFM on especially topics related to the rationalisation of banking infrastructure and prospects for a state-owned bank in South Africa. He has also been invited as a panel speaker by South African financial institutions such as Standard Bank and First National Bank on topics typically related to the future of banking in South Africa. In 2017 he was invited as a speaker at the “Banking, Finance and Insurance Expo” presented by the Ba Isago University in Gaborone (Botswana). 

Prof Coetzee has chaired several conferences focusing on the impact of innovative developments on the South African banking industry, including the Africa NXT Banking Summit entitled “Aligning Africa’s FinTech, Digital & Inclusive Banking Growth with Sustainability” and the “Banking the Underbanked” conference hosted by the International Quality and Performance Centre. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for Milpark’s School of Investment & Banking and has been used by the South African Reserve Bank’s Academy as a consultant on their risk management programmes used to train future central bankers.

Prof Coetzee completed his BCom, BCom (Honours), MCom and PhD at the University of the Free State in South Africa, as well as an MBA (Chartered Banker) from Bangor University in Wales. He is currently enrolled in the MSc (Business Analytics) at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US.

Personal profile links of interest:

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/johan-coetzee-mcibs-7282723b

Researchgate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Johan_Coetzee2

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAjMa7CDJcKz_rGBvNtI9cw

Email address: coetzj@ufs.ac.za

Publications

  • ACCREDITED ARTICLE PUBLICATIONS:

  • Coetzee, J. (2009). Personal or Remote Interaction? Banking the Unbanked in South Africa, South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 12(4), 448–461; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J., Van Zyl, H. & Tait, M. (2012). Selection criteria in the South African retail banking sector, African Journal of Business Management, 17(October), 10558–10567; DHET-accredited (at the time of publication).
  • Watson, S. & Coetzee, J. (2012). The impact of forced financial restatements on share returns of JSE listed firms, International Business and Economics Research Journal, 11(12), 1383–1396; DHET-accredited; IBSS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J. (2013). Bonus incentive schemes in the South African private banking sector, Acta Academica, 45(2), 199–227; DHET-accredited; Scopus-listed.
  • Coetzee, J., Van Zyl, H. & Tait, M. (2013). Perceptions of service quality by clients and contact-personnel in the South African retail banking sector, Southern African Business Review, 17(1), 1–22; DHET-accredited.
  • Coetzee, J. (2014). Client centricity in South African retail banking, International Business and Economics Research Journal, 13(5), 997–1016; DHET-accredited; IBSS-listed.
  • Mitter, C., Weidinger, A. & Coetzee, J. (2015). Lender-borrower relationships in Austrian banks: an exploratory study of distressed loans, International Business and Economics Research Journal, 14(6), 851–868; DHET-accredited; IBSS-listed.
  • Nghishidi, J.J. & Coetzee, J. (2017). Environmental risks and lending processes in Namibian banks, South African Institute of Management Scientists Conference Proceedings; DHET-accredited.
  • Coetzee, J. (2018). Strategic implications of Fintech on South African retail banks, South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 21(1), 1–23; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J. (2018). Trust in banking relationships: lessons for South African banks on bank selection in Saudi Arabia, Journal for New Generation Sciences, 16(2), 1–29; DHET-accredited.
  • Coetzee, A. & Coetzee, J. (2019). Service quality and attitudinal loyalty: the mediating effect of delight on retail banking relationships, Global Business and Economics Review, 21(1), 120–138; DHET-accredited; IBSS-listed.
  • Van Heerden, C. & Coetzee, J. (2019). Re-examining the ability to explain future South African banking share returns: a data envelopment analysis approach, South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 22(1), 1–18; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J. (2019). Risk Aversion and the Adoption of Fintech by South African Banks, African Journal of Business and Economic Research, 14(4), 133–153; DHET-accredited; IBSS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J. & Genukile, L. (2020). The short- and long-run drivers of lending behaviour by South African banks, African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 11(4), 639–651; DHET-accredited; IBSS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J., Neneh, B., Stemmet, K., Lamprecht, J., Motsisi, C. & Sereeco, W. (2021). South African universities in a time of increasing disruption, South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 24(1), 1–12; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Jordaan, H. & Coetzee, J. (2021). Access to finance perceived as an obstacle and the characteristics of the SMME and its owner: evidence from the Free State goldfields – South Africa, International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies, 13(1), 373–404; DHET-accredited; Scopus-listed.
  • Masinde, M. & Coetzee, J. (2021). Counting What Counts: A researcher productivity scoring framework for South Africa’s universities of technology, South African Journal of Higher Education, 35(3), 83–106; DHET-accredited.
  • Masinde, M. & Coetzee, J. (2023). Modelling research productivity of university researchers using research incentives to crowd-in motivation, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 72(5), 1509–1530; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Coetzee, J. & Raubenheimer, L. (2023). Value preferences for rewards and loyalty programs of South African financial institutions, International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 26(4), 530–556; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Kotzé, J., Coetzee, J. & Niemann, R. (2023). Views of digital transformation at a South African higher education institution to enable effective administrative systems, International Business Conference, Conference Proceedings; DHET-accredited.
  • Makuvaza, L., Chamboko, R., Guvuriro, S. & Coetzee, J. (2025, March). The role of intermediate financial distress events and business cycles in stock market delisting: evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Cogent Economics and Finance, 13; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Makuvaza, L., Chamboko, R., Guvuriro, S. & Coetzee, J. (2025, June). Modelling the recovery of distressed firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange: a Cox proportional hazard model approach, Cogent Economics and Finance, 13; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed.
  • Kosiba, JP, & Coetzee, J. (2025). Satellite fans’ team identification, emotional attachment, sports team brand equity, and travel intention: social identity and attachment perspective, Journal of Sport and Tourism, (9(2), 1-13; DHET-accredited; WoS-listed. 

    • BOOKS:

    Coetzee, J (ed). 2016. Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective, Juta: South Africa. ISBN: 9780702197864 (Book was listed by the CEO of First National Bank in South Africa, Mr Jacques Celliers, as part of his Christmas Reading List in the Financial Mail magazine, December 2016)

    CHAPTERS IN BOOKS:

    Author: Dr Johan Coetzee
    Title of chapter: Financial intermediation Theory
    Title of book: Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective 

    Author: Dr Johan Coetzee & Dr Jesse de Beer
    Title of chapter: Financial Regulation in the South African Banking Industry
    Title of book: Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective 

    Author: Dr Johan Coetzee
    Title of chapter: Relationship Banking in South Africa
    Title of book: Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective

    Author: Dr Johan Coetzee
    Title of chapter: Integrated Reporting for Banks
    Title of book: Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective  

    Author: Dr Johan Coetzee
    Title of chapter: Establishing a Risk Philosophy in Banks
    Title of book: Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective 

    Author: Dr Johan Coetzee & Dr Jesse de Beer
    Title of chapter: Banks and Capital Adequacy
    Title of book: Bank management in South Africa: A risk-based perspective

    Author: Coetzee, J. 2024

    Title of chapter: Are Banks Doing Enough to Address Inequality?

    Title of book: A Fair Share - Reflecting Essays on Economic Inequality in SA, UJ University Press

     

    Publications (Short List)

    NATIONAL

    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), Development perspective: Is Africa different?, 7-9 September 2005, Durban, South Africa, Banking the unbanked: The importance of branch banking in South Africa
    • South African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS), Managerial challenges for black economic empowerment, 26-28 September 2005, Bloemfontein, South Africa, Banking the unbanked in South Africa: Challenges facing the retail strategies of South African retail banks
    • South African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS), Demystifying the art of management…through research, 13-15 September 2006, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Pursuing remote or personal interaction to bank the unbanked: What are South African retail banks doing?
    • University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Management, 1st Annual conference, Opportunities and initiatives for advancing 21st century management and growth in Africa, 29-31 October 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa, Do mortgage originators add value? A sample case study in Bloemfontein
    • South African Management Forum (SAFM), Customer relationship management in the banking, travel and medical aid industries, 2 August 2007, Bloemfontein, South Africa, Making the client central to your bank
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 10-12 September 2007, Johannesburg, South Africa, Financial intermediation theory and the role of information in banking
    • South African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS), Business Management discourse in the new millennium: Challenges and opportunities, 13-15 September 2009, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, The nature and dynamics of client-centricity in banking
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 5-7 September 2011, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Bank selection criteria in the South African retail banking sector
    • South African Management Forum (SAFM), Are relationships important? Perspectives in financial services, 9 February 2012, Bloemfontein, South Africa, Why do clients choose a bank? Evidence in the Free State
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 25-27 September 2013, Bloemfontein, South Africa, Financial literacy amongst students in South Africa
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 25-27 September 2013, Bloemfontein, South Africa, The management of distressed loans: evidence from Austrian banks (Presented with Prof. Christine Mitter)
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 2-4 September 2015, Cape Town, South Africa, Relationship banking: a new research agenda
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 30 August – 1 September 2017, Grahamstown, South Africa, The evolution of financial services into Fintech: strategic risk considerations for South African banks
    • South African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS), Management research: Science serving practice, 10-12 September 2017, Bloemfontein, South Africa, Environmental risks and lending processes in Namibian banks
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 3-5 September 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa, The future of banking: a fight for data
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 9-11 September 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa, Fintech disruption and the future South African bank
    • Economics Society of South Africa (ESSA), 8-10 September 2025, Somerset West, South Africa, Trends in bank selection

    INTERNATIONAL

    • The Global Business & Finance Research Conference, 11 July 2008, London, United Kingdom, The changing role of financial intermediaries
    • Business and Economics Society International Conference, 15-20 July 2008, Lugano, Switzerland, Towards a full-service orientation: An alternative perspective on the role of banks
    • EABR and ETLC conference, 7-10 June 2010, Dublin, Ireland, Relationship banking in context: The South African situation
    • Business and Economics Society International, 6 – 9 July 2012, Salzburg, Austria, Bank selection criteria: A cross-national comparison between students in Austria and South Africa (Presented with Prof. Christine Mitter)
    • Business and Economics Society International, 6 – 9 July 2012, Salzburg, Austria, The impact of financial restatement announcements on share returns of JSE listed companies (Presented with Mr Shaun Watson)
    • Business and Economics Society International, 6-9 July 2013, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Client-centricity in South African retail banking
    • Business and Economics Society International, 6-9 July 2013, Monte Carlo, Monaco, The Effectiveness of Labour Policies to Reduce Country Risk: A Comparative Study between Saudi Arabia and South Africa (Presented with Prof. Mohamed Ramady)
    • International Business Conference, 8-12 June 2014, Munich, Germany, A conceptual model for Relationship Banking
    • International Academy of Business and Economics, 19-20 June 2015, Rome, Italy, Relationship quality in the South African private banking sector
    • Business and Economics Society International, 6-9 July 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia, The future of retail banking
    • Banking, Finance and Insurance Expo, 2 June 2017, Gaborone, Botswana, Ba Isago University, The changing face of banking relationships
    • 9th Economics & Finance, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences Conference, 22-25 May 2018, London, United Kingdom, The revolution called Fintech: what are South African banks doing?
    • Africa NXT Banking Summit: Aligning Africa’s FinTech, Digital & Inclusive Banking Growth with Sustainability, 25-26 July 2018, Johannesburg, South Africa, Fintech and the banking relationship
    • Business and Economics Society International Conference, 6-9 July 2019, Vienna, Austria, Consumer Preferences of Rewards and Loyalty Programmes in South African Banks (Presented with L Raubenheimer)
    • Business and Economics Society International Conference, 6-10 July 2022, Rome, Does Relationship Quality Moderate the Relationship between Bank Selection and Loyalty?
    • International Academy of Business and Economics conference, 9-11 June 2025, London, England, The adoption of Fintech applications in wealth banking

     

    ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS

    • Young promising banker award, Nedbank Retail Banking Free State/Northern Cape. 2002
    • Top Achiever in Teaching and Learning, Upcoming junior lecturer, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, 2008
    • Top Achiever in Research, Upcoming junior researcher, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, 2010. 2013
    • Vice-Chancellor’s Prestige Scholars Programme member, University of the Free State, 2012/2013

     

     EXTERNAL REVIEWER 

    • International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (IJEIM)
    • South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences (SAJEMS)
    • South African Journal of Business Management (SAJBM)
    • South African Journal of Economics (SAJE)
    • Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences (JEF)
    • International Journal of Bank Marketing (IJBM)
    • Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences (JEF)
    • National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF)
    • Africa’s Public Service Delivery & Performance Journal

     

    PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

    • Chartered Banker at the Institute of Bankers in Scotland, 2014 to date
    • Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE) at the Chartered Association of Business Schools in the United Kingdom, membership number: CMBE44469, 2019 to date
    • Senior Associate at the Centre for Risk, Banking and Financial Services at Nottingham University’s Business School, 2017 to date
    • Mentor at the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, 2017 to date
    • Member and Charterholder (MCBI) of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, Membership number: 14242786, 2014 to date
    • Member of the Economics Society of South Africa, 2004 to date

     

    UFS MANAGERIAL ROLES 

    • Member of the Senate of the University of the Free State, June 2018 to date
    • Acting Head, Department of Economics and Finance, September 2016 – June 2017, 1 July 2019 to 30 September 2019
    • Deputy-chairperson, Department of Economics and Finance, University of the Free State, 1 January 2011 to 30 September 2019
    • Member of the Faculty Research Committee, Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Free State, 2017 to date
    • Member of the Investment Committee at the University of the Free State, July 2016 to date
    • Member of the Business School PhD panel, University of the Free State Business School, 2016 to date 
    • Environment domain co-ordinator for the BML Degree, Business School, UFS, 2004 to 2015

     

    BOARDS AND INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT
    • Chairman for the Africa NXT Banking Summit entitled “Aligning Africa’s FinTech, Digital & Inclusive Banking Growth with Sustainability”, Johannesburg, 26-28 July, 2018
    • External assessor and visiting lecturer, Risk Management programme, South African Reserve Bank Academy, August 2013, August 2014 
    • Consulting Board member, Milpark School of Investment & Banking, May 2012 to date
    • Conference chairperson for conference entitled “Banking the Underbanked” hosted by the International Quality and Performance Centre (IQPC), Johannesburg, 4-6 December, 2007

     

    JOURNAL EDITORSHIPS

    • Editorial Board member, section editor for Banking and Finance, South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 2019 to date

    • Editorial Board member, International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 2020 to date

     

    Area(s) of Interest

    • Fintech and banking
    • Risk management in banking
    • Relationship banking
    • Developments and trends in banking, and specifically consumer banking
    • Service quality in banks

    Courses Presented

    • Macroeconomic policy in the business environment in the UFS MBA programme (masters level)
    • Financial risk management at the University of the Free State (UFS) and masters students (Quantitative Financial Risk Management) at the UFS and Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (SUAS) at third-year level (introductory, UFS), honours level (intermediate, UFS), masters level (advanced, UFS and SUAS)
    • Financial markets to undergraduate students at SUAS
    • Investment management to Honours students at the UFS, 2016-2017
    • Regulation in Financial Services to Honours students at the UFS, 2016-2017

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