Working Paper: NBER ID: w18013
Authors: Franklin Allen; Elena Carletti; Robert Cull; Jun Qian; Lemma Senbet; Patricio Valenzuela
Abstract: With extensive country- and firm-level data sets we first document that the financial sectors of most sub-Saharan African countries remain significantly underdeveloped by the standards of other developing countries. We also find that population density appears to be considerably more important for banking sector development in Africa than elsewhere. To better understand how countries can overcome the high costs of developing viable banking sectors outside large metropolitan areas, we focus on Kenya, which has made significant strides in financial inclusion and development in recent years. We find a positive and significant impact of Equity Bank, a leading private commercial bank on financial access, especially for under-privileged households. Equity Bank's business model--providing financial services to population segments typically ignored by traditional commercial banks and generating sustainable profits in the process--can be a potential solution to the financial access problem that has hindered the development of inclusive financial sectors in many other African countries.
Keywords: Financial Development; Sub-Saharan Africa; Equity Bank; Population Density; Financial Inclusion
JEL Codes: G00; K00; O50
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| regional economic conditions (R11) | financial sector performance (G21) |
| population density (J11) | banking sector development (O16) |
| Equity Bank presence (G21) | access to financial services (G20) |
| population density (J11) | financial development (O16) |