Microfinance and Financial Sector Development
Abstract
This paper analyzes the relationship between performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and the development of the formal financial sector of the country in which the MFI is active. We find that MFIs reach more clients and are more profitable where access to the formal financial system is low. This finding is in line with the market-failure hypothesis: MFIs respond to a need that banks do not fulfill and flourish where the formal banking sector fails. However, we also find indications of interdependencies between MFI-performance and formal financial sector development. First, MFIs are less profitable where interest rates are higher reflecting the fact that MFIs depend upon the domestic banking system for additional funding. Secondly, MFIs are less profitable where inflation is high, suggesting that MFIs benefit from stability of the formal financial system. Overall, the results show that the macro-economic environment is crucial to fully understand MFI-performance and that outreach and accordingly impact of MFIs are contingent on financial sector development.Download Info
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Paper provided by ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles in its series Working Papers CEB with number 09-040.RS.Length: 41 p.
Date of creation: 2009
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published by:
Handle: RePEc:sol:wpaper:09-040
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Related research
Keywords: O16; O50; G21;Find related papers by JEL classification:
- O16 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
- O50 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - General
- G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2009-10-24 (All new papers)
- NEP-DEV-2009-10-24 (Development)
- NEP-MFD-2009-10-24 (Microfinance)
References
References listed on IDEASPlease report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Nargiza Maksudova, 2010. "Macroeconomics of Microfinance: How Do the Channels Work?," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp423, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economic Institute, Prague.
- Marie Brière & Ariane Szafarz, 2011. "Investment in Microfinance Equity: Risk, Return, and Diversification Benefits," Working Papers CEB 11-050, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
- Inoue, Takeshi & Hamori, Shigeyuki, 2011. "Financial permeation as a role of microfinance : has microfinance actually been helpful to the poor?," IDE Discussion Papers 299, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
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