IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/awf/journl/y2025i2p138-147.html

A Spatial-Econometric Analysis of Banking Access in the Republic of Moldova

Author

Listed:
  • Mihail CIOBANU
  • Iulia BEJENARU

Abstract

The paper analyzes territorial disparities in banking access across the Republic of Moldova, using spatial mapping and econometric regression models. The study relies on data from commercial banks and the National Bureau of Statistics to assess the distribution of ATMs and bank branches. Findings show that while Chișinău dominates the banking landscape, rural and peripheral districts face significant access gaps. Regression results highlight that economic indicators - average number of employees, number of enterprises, and sales revenues - are the strongest predictors of branch presence, surpassing population or surface of district. The paper recommends targeted policies: promoting digital and financial literacy, expanding mobile banking in rural areas, supporting SME growth, and maintaining physical access for vulnerable groups. Enhancing banking equity is essential for regional cohesion and inclusive national development.

Suggested Citation

  • Mihail CIOBANU & Iulia BEJENARU, 2025. "A Spatial-Econometric Analysis of Banking Access in the Republic of Moldova," Intellectus, State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), issue 2, pages 138-147, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:awf:journl:y:2025:i:2:p:138-147
    DOI: 10.56329/1810-7087.25.2.13
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://agepi.gov.md/sites/default/files/intellectus/Intellectus_02_2025_138.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.56329/1810-7087.25.2.13?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Álvarez-Gamboa, Javier & Cabrera-Barona, Pablo & Jácome-Estrella, Hugo, 2023. "Territorial inequalities in financial inclusion: A comparative study between private banks and credit unions," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    2. Robert Cull & Asli Demirguç-Kunt & Jonathan Morduch, 2007. "Financial performance and outreach: a global analysis of leading microbanks," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages 107-133, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Junyon Im & Sunny Sun, 2015. "Profits and outreach to the poor: The institutional logics of microfinance institutions," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 95-117, March.
    2. Elikplimi K. Agbloyor & Simplice A. Asongu & Peter Muriu, 2021. "Sustainability, Growth and Impact of MFIs in Africa," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 21/083, African Governance and Development Institute..
    3. Hailu Abebe Wondirad, 2022. "Interest rates in microfinance: What is a fair interest rate when we lend to the poor?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(6), pages 4537-4548, December.
    4. Römer, Ulf & Weber, Ron & Mußhoff, Oliver & Turvey, Calcum G., 2017. "Truth and consequences: Bogus pipeline experiment in informal small business lending," DARE Discussion Papers 1702, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    5. Fall, François Seck & Tchakoute Tchuigoua, Hubert & Vanhems, Anne & Simar, Léopold, 2022. "Investigating the unobserved heterogeneity effect on microfinance social efficiency," LIDAM Discussion Papers ISBA 2022010, Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA).
    6. Kwame Ohene Djan & Samuel Anokye Nyarko & Roy Mersland & Leif Atle Beisland & Linda Nakato, 2023. "Influence of international ownership on the performance of local social enterprises: Evidence from the global microfinance industry," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/371350, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    7. Hartarska, Valentina M. & Zhang, Jingfang & Nadolnyak, Denis A., 2023. "Scope Economies from Rural and Urban Microfinance Services," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335439, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. kemdong nicodeme TENEKEU, 2020. "Factors affecting sustainability of microfinance institutions in Cameroon," Journal of Academic Finance, RED research unit, university of Gabes, Tunisia, vol. 11(1), pages 122-138, June.
    9. Sagamba, MoÏse & Shchetinin, Oleg & Yusupov, Nurmukhammad, 2013. "Do Microloan Officers Want to Lend to the Less Advantaged? Evidence from a Choice Experiment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 182-198.
    10. Sandra Kendo & Josephine Tchakounte, 2022. "Impact of asset size on performance and outreach using panel quantile regression with non-additive fixed effects," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 65-92, January.
    11. Beisland, Leif Atle & Djan, Kwame Ohene & Mersland, Roy & Randøy, Trond, 2021. "Measuring Social Performance in Social Enterprises: A Global Study of Microfinance Institutions," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 171(1), pages 51-71.
    12. Li Gan & Manuel A. Hernandez & Yanyan Liu, 2018. "Group Lending With Heterogeneous Types," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(2), pages 895-913, April.
    13. Godwin Appiah-Kubi & Jeneba Joy Tucker & Simplice A. Asongu & Gerald Guan Gan GOH & Bright Akwasi Gyamfi, 2026. "Exploring the role of microfinance institutions in promoting financial sustainability and alleviating poverty in Ghana," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, December.
    14. D’Espallier, Bert & Goedecke, Jann & Hudon, Marek & Mersland, Roy, 2017. "From NGOs to Banks: Does Institutional Transformation Alter the Business Model of Microfinance Institutions?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 89, pages 19-33.
    15. Teguh Budiman & Yayan Satyakti & Erie Febrian, 2021. "Islamic Bank Sustainability: An Econometric Approach," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 11(2), pages 141-159, February.
    16. Md Aslam Mia & V. G. R. Chandran, 2016. "Measuring Financial and Social Outreach Productivity of Microfinance Institutions in Bangladesh," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 505-527, June.
    17. Knar Khachatryan & Vardan Baghdasaryan & Valentina Hartarska, 2018. "Is the model loans-plus-savings better for microfinance in ECA? A PSM comparison," Working Paper c5a69366-4231-479c-879d-c, European Microfinance Network.
    18. Imai, Katsushi S. & Gaiha, Raghav & Thapa, Ganesh & Annim, Samuel Kobina, 2012. "Microfinance and Poverty—A Macro Perspective," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1675-1689.
    19. Pignatel, Isabelle & Tchakoute Tchuigoua, Hubert, 2020. "Microfinance institutions and International Financial Reporting Standards: An exploratory analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    20. Pascal, D. & Mersland, R. & Mori, N., 2017. "The influence of the CEO’s business education on the performance of hybrid organizations: the case of the global microfinance industry," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 49(2), pages 339-354.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:awf:journl:y:2025:i:2:p:138-147. 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: AGEPI (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://agepi.gov.md/ .

    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.