IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/riibaf/v36y2016icp520-531.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is exchange rate risk priced in microfinance?

Author

Listed:
  • Al-Azzam, Moh’d
  • Mimouni, Karim

Abstract

High microcredit interest rates have often been a source of criticism against the microfinance movement. Research has focused attention on the cost structure of interest rates and more recently on the macroeconomic and macro-institutional factors. While cost structure is probably the most important determinant of interest rates, other factors can also matter. This paper uses an innovative measure of foreign exchange risk to explore its impact on microcredit interest rates. We show that microfinance institutions that operate in countries with fixed exchange rate regimes tend to charge lower interest rates than those operating in countries with floating exchange rate regimes.

Suggested Citation

  • Al-Azzam, Moh’d & Mimouni, Karim, 2016. "Is exchange rate risk priced in microfinance?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 520-531.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:36:y:2016:i:c:p:520-531
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2015.10.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0275531915300507
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ribaf.2015.10.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ahlin, Christian & Lin, Jocelyn & Maio, Michael, 2011. "Where does microfinance flourish? Microfinance institution performance in macroeconomic context," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 105-120, July.
    2. Stewart, Chris & Matousek, Roman & Nguyen, Thao Ngoc, 2016. "Efficiency in the Vietnamese banking system: A DEA double bootstrap approach," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 96-111.
    3. David Roodman, 2009. "A Note on the Theme of Too Many Instruments," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 71(1), pages 135-158, February.
    4. Stephen Bond, 2002. "Dynamic panel data models: a guide to microdata methods and practice," CeMMAP working papers CWP09/02, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    5. Patrick Honohan, 2004. "Financial Sector Policy and the Poor : Selected Findings and Issues," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 14874, December.
    6. D'Espallier, Bert & Guérin, Isabelle & Mersland, Roy, 2011. "Women and Repayment in Microfinance: A Global Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 758-772, May.
    7. Mersland, Roy & D’Espallier, Bert & Supphellen, Magne, 2013. "The Effects of Religion on Development Efforts: Evidence from the Microfinance Industry and a Research Agenda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 145-156.
    8. Roberts, Peter W., 2013. "The Profit Orientation of Microfinance Institutions and Effective Interest Rates," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 120-131.
    9. KAI, Hisako, 2009. "Competition and Wide Outreach of Microfinance Institutions," MPRA Paper 17143, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Kevane, Michael & Wydick, Bruce, 2001. "Microenterprise Lending to Female Entrepreneurs: Sacrificing Economic Growth for Poverty Alleviation?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(7), pages 1225-1236, July.
    11. Craig McIntosh & Alain Janvry & Elisabeth Sadoulet, 2005. "How Rising Competition Among Microfinance Institutions Affects Incumbent Lenders," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 115(506), pages 987-1004, October.
    12. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    13. Khandker, S.R. & Khalily, B. & Khan, Z., 1995. "Grameen Bank: Performance and Sustainability," World Bank - Discussion Papers 306, World Bank.
    14. Hennie Van Greuning & Sonja Brajovic Bratanovic, . "Analyzing Banking Risk : A Framework for Assessing Corporate Governance and Risk Management, Third Edition," World Bank Publications, The World Bank, number 2618, September.
    15. repec:idb:brikps:publication-detail,7101.html?id=8385 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Stephen R. Bond, 2002. "Dynamic panel data models: a guide to micro data methods and practice," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 1(2), pages 141-162, August.
    17. Marek Hudon, 2007. "Fair interest rates when lending to the poor," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/14204, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    18. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    19. Hisako Kai, 2009. "Competition and wide outreach of Microfinance Institutions," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 29(4), pages 2628-2639.
    20. Mersland, Roy & Øystein Strøm, R., 2009. "Performance and governance in microfinance institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 662-669, April.
    21. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    22. McIntosh, Craig & Wydick, Bruce, 2005. "Competition and microfinance," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 271-298, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Giovanna Aguilar & Jhonatan Portilla, 2020. "Determinants of Market Power in the Peruvian Regulated Microfinance Sector," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 657-688, December.
    2. Dawood Ashraf & Muhammad Suhail Rizwan & Barbara L’Huillier, 2022. "Environmental, social, and governance integration: the case of microfinance institutions," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 837-891, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mira Nurmakhanova & Gavin Kretzschmar & Hassouna Fedhila, 2015. "Trade-off between financial sustainability and outreach of microfinance institutions," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 5(2), pages 231-250, December.
    2. Al-Azzam, Moh'd & Mimouni, Karim, 2017. "Currency risk and microcredit interest rates," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 80-95.
    3. Moh’d Al-Azzam & Christopher Parmeter, 2021. "Competition and microcredit interest rates: international evidence," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 829-868, February.
    4. Djibril Faye & Zaka Ratsimalahelo, 2022. "Dynamic analysis of the interest rate determinant in microfinance institutions," Working Papers 2022-09, CRESE.
    5. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2021. "Do Unilateral Trade Preferences Help Reduce Poverty in Beneficiary Countries?," EconStor Preprints 247346, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    6. Juergen Bitzer & Erkan Goeren, 2018. "Foreign Aid and Subnational Development: A Grid Cell Analysis," Working Papers V-407-18, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2018.
    7. Davide Consoli & Francesco Vona & Francesco Rentocchini, 2016. "That was then, this is now: skills and routinization in the 2000s," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 25(5), pages 847-866.
    8. Elya Nabila Abdul Bahri & Abu Hassan Shaari Md Nor & Tamat Sarmidi & Nor Hakimah Haji Mohd Nor, 2019. "The Role of Financial Development in the Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: A Nonlinear Approach," Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies (RPBFMP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(02), pages 1-32, June.
    9. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2023. "Duration of membership in the world trade organization and investment-oriented remittances inflows," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 258-277.
    10. Vinayagathasan, Thanabalasingam, 2013. "Inflation and economic growth: A dynamic panel threshold analysis for Asian economies," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 31-41.
    11. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2022. "Duration of WTO Membership and Investment-Oriented Remittances Flows," EconStor Preprints 251274, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    12. Niels Hermes & Marek Hudon, 2018. "Determinants Of The Performance Of Microfinance Institutions: A Systematic Review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(5), pages 1483-1513, December.
    13. Al-Gasaymeh, Anwar, 2016. "Bank efficiency determinant: Evidence from the gulf cooperation council countries," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 214-223.
    14. Augurzky, Boris & Engel, Dirk & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Schwierz, Christoph, 2009. "Ownership and Financial Performance in the German Hospital Sector," Ruhr Economic Papers 123, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    15. Linh T.D. Huynh & Hien Thanh Hoang, 2019. "Effects of exchange rate volatility on bilateral import performance of Vietnam: A dynamic Generalised method of Moments panel approach," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 88-110, January.
    16. Zulkefly Abdul Karim & Mohd Azlan Shah Zaidi, 2015. "Monetary Policy, Firm Size and Equity Returns in An Emerging Market: Panel Evidence of Malaysia," Asian Academy of Management Journal of Accounting and Finance (AAMJAF), Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, vol. 11(2), pages 29-55.
    17. Jooste, Charl & Liu, Guangling (Dave) & Naraidoo, Ruthira, 2013. "Analysing the effects of fiscal policy shocks in the South African economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 215-224.
    18. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2023. "Do unilateral trade preferences help reduce poverty in beneficiary countries?," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 249-288, February.
    19. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2021. "Effect of the Utilization of Non-Reciprocal Trade Preferences offered by the QUAD on Economic Growth in Beneficiary Countries," EconStor Preprints 242848, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    20. Tchakoute Tchuigoua, Hubert, 2016. "Buffer capital in microfinance institutions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 3523-3537.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Microfinance; Interest rate; Economic development; Exchange risk; Financial intermediation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • F63 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Economic Development

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:36:y:2016:i:c:p:520-531. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ribaf .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.