Professor Johan Coetzee (MCBI, CMBE) is an Associate Professor in Banking and Finance at the University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa. He is a Chartered Banker (MCBI), a Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE), and a Visiting Professor at both the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and Fulda University of Applied Sciences. 

His research examines how banks balance their roles as custodians of financial stability and agents of economic transformation amid technological disruption, regulatory pressure, and structural inequality. He has developed a research stream termed behavioural banking, which explores this paradox from two perspectives: the institutional behaviour of banks in response to regulation, fintech and macroeconomic constraints; and the behavioural dynamics of clients, including trust, value perceptions and loyalty in increasingly technology-driven banking relationships. From an institutional perspective, his work shows how regulatory conservatism both safeguards systemic stability and constrains innovation and inclusion. His research on fintech adoption, strategic responses of South Africa’s major banks, lending behaviour, and banking efficiency demonstrates how prudential risk management, while essential, can slow transformation in structurally unequal economies. From a client perspective, his studies highlight how loyalty is shaped not only by service quality but by emotional engagement, value alignment, and trust — factors that ultimately determine long-term bank–client relationships.

He has published and presented more than 40 academic papers internationally and is the editor and principal contributor to Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective, the only comprehensive South African textbook dedicated specifically to bank management. Professor Coetzee teaches Financial Risk Management in Banking and Macroeconomic Analysis at undergraduate and postgraduate level at UFS and its Business School, and has lectured internationally at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, and Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences. Prior to academia, he worked at Nedbank, including as a Sovereign Risk Analyst in Corporate and Investment Banking. He has received the Faculty’s Most Promising Researcher award three times and has been recognised for excellence in teaching. He serves on the Senate of UFS and previously on the Advisory Board of Milpark’s School of Investment & Banking. Professor Coetzee holds a PhD in Economics from the UFS, an MBA (Chartered Banker) from Bangor University, and a postgraduate certificate in Data Science and Business Analytics from the University of Texas at Austin.

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

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:

Coetzee, J. (2016). Financial Intermediation Theory, in Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective.

Coetzee, J. & De Beer, J. (2016). Financial Regulation in the South African Banking Industry, in Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective.

Coetzee, J. (2016). Relationship Banking in South Africa, in Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective.

Coetzee, J. (2016). Integrated Reporting for Banks, in Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective.

Coetzee, J. (2016). Establishing a Risk Philosophy in Banks, in Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective.

Coetzee, J. & De Beer, J. (2016). Banks and Capital Adequacy, in Bank Management in South Africa: A Risk-Based Perspective.

Coetzee, J. (2024). Are Banks Doing Enough to Address Inequality?, in A Fair Share: Reflecting Essays on Economic Inequality in South Africa, UJ University Press.

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, 1^st Annual conference, Opportunities and initiatives for advancing 21^st 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
  

• 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

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

• 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