The narrow and broad argument of microfinance impacts on small- and medium-sized enterprises in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 118-127
Author(s):  
Solomon Arhin
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Financial Service ◽  
Market Failures ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Microfinance Institution ◽  
The Impact

Microfinance has become a popular and fashionable word in financial and development circles. In practice, the term was often used more narrowly to refer to loans and other services from providers that identify themselves as microfinance institution. Indeed, the concept of microfinance was not new in Ghana. Microfinance plays a very crucial role in the area of addressing the market failures with regard to the provision of financial services to the low-income customers who until recently were receiving little or no help from the conventional financial service providers. This study examines the impact of microfinance on the operations of small- and medium-scale industries in Ghana – focusing on Tafo area of Ashanti region. The study uses sampling size of 91 clients. Data were collected through questionnaire. The findings reveal that most of the microfinance clients take loans to expand their personal businesses. The study recommends an effective monitoring system to be put in place to correct the poor collection mechanism that is currently facing the firms. Keywords: Microfinance, small- and medium-sized enterprises, Tafo district  

Mobile Financial Services

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-119
Author(s):  
Alexander Maina Kimari ◽  
Eric Blanco Niyitunga
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Financial Service ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Financial Exclusion ◽  
Mobile Financial Services

The chapter explores financial exclusion, its causes, and consequences in society. The chapter found that the existing discrepancy in financial inclusion between the developed and developing world is driven by financial exclusion that makes it difficult for financial service providers to expand outreach to the poor at affordable prices. The chapter aims to investigate the role of mobile financial service design and development in dealing with financial exclusion. It was found that mobile financial services are promoting financial inclusion in various markets. However, few studies have been undertaken on the benefits of mobile financial services in dealing with the high rates of financial exclusion. The chapter recommended that to achieve financial inclusion, there is need for mobile financial services providers to take into account customer experience through the ease of using the phone interface. The chapter concluded that there is need for scholars in the fields of finance and economics to conduct research in the areas of mobile financial services and their role in society.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Microfinance for Women in Albania

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Oltiana Muharremi ◽  
Filloreta Madani ◽  
Erald Pelari
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Micro Enterprises

<p class="Default"><em>Microfinance is defined as any activity involving the offering of financial services such as loans, savings and insurance to individuals with low income.</em><em> </em><em>Creating social value includes reducing poverty and having a better impact to improve living conditions through capital for micro-enterprises; insurance and savings deposits for reducing risk and boosting consumption. Worldwide microfinance actors promote access to basic financial services by developing new tools, a variety of products and the adoption of an integrated banking access.</em></p><p class="Default"><em>Initially, microfinance was largely gender neutral: it sought to provide credit to the poor who had no assets to pledge as collateral. It quickly emerged, however, that women invested their business profits in ways that would have a longer-lasting impact on their families and communities. Consequently women became fundamental to the success of the microfinance model as a poverty alleviation tool. The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of microfinance loans in improving the lives of women borrowers, as well as in strengthening their social influence and the microcredit impact in promoting savings. This study is based on an empirical investigation of 384 structured questionnaires and surveys directed at microfinance institutions and their clients in the regions of Vlore and Fier, Albania.</em></p>

Leveraging Technology Options for Financial Inclusion in India

2014 ◽  
pp. 728-739
Author(s):  
Shalu Chopra ◽  
Rajeev Dwivedi ◽  
Arun Mohan Sherry
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Front End ◽  
The Poor

Financial services have a ubiquitous need however the urban rich have easy and universal access with wider options, compared to the low-income group who are forced to accept informal, expensive and riskier means to fulfill their financial needs. The demand and supply of financial services for the poor is imbalanced, with supply being acutely constrained by lack of viability and sustainability of current business models. Technology and IT has a pivotal role in making financial inclusion a viable reality. Technology, including information technology can enable lowering costs by increasing automation, enhancing efficiency, enabling scaling up through uniformity, consistency and security. Multiple technology choices are available to financial service providers but few have been proven yet. This paper examines technology options at the front end and back-end in detail with a critique of alternatives available for financial inclusion in Indian context.

scholarly journals Emergence of Non-Traditional Financial Service Providers in the Market - A Threat or An Opportunity for the Georgian Banking Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Tea Kasradze
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Financial Service ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Financial Industry ◽  
The Impact

Each banking institution has a customer-oriented strategic plan, although the sudden emergence of competition does not allow them to relax. The explosion of new technologies and the rise in consumer demand have been putting pressure on banks since the 2008 recession. Retail banking customers are constantly expecting new, improved, affordable, convenient continuous service from the bank. In an environment of increasingly competitive, innovative financial services, banks need to be able to maintain not only customers but also brand awareness. The emergence of non-traditional financial service providers in the market such as FinTech, NEO Banks, Challenger Banks, BigTech, which reduces the relationship between banks and their customers, completely changes the banking industry. Today we face a new open ecosystem of consumers, traditional banks, FinTech and BigTech companies, regulators, developers, non-banking firms and other players, with customers at the center. Banks will have to significantly change their commercial and operating models to retain customers and remain active players in the market. The presented paper examines the development trends of new players in the financial industry - non-traditional financial service providers and the readiness of the banking industry to respond to these trends. The paper is a study of the impact of digitalization of financial services on the banking sector based on the study and analysis of reports of the various international organizations, local policy documents, reports and regulations of the National Bank, the papers of various researchers and their secondary data. Based on the research, suggestions have been made on how Georgian banks should strategically approach non-traditional providers of financial services to avoid losses, withstand competition and remain active market players.

Mobile Financial Services

2021 ◽  
pp. 212-230
Author(s):  
Alexander Maina Kimari ◽  
Eric Blanco Niyitunga
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Financial Service ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Financial Exclusion ◽  
Mobile Financial Services

The chapter explores financial exclusion, its causes, and consequences in society. The chapter found that the existing discrepancy in financial inclusion between the developed and developing world is driven by financial exclusion that makes it difficult for financial service providers to expand outreach to the poor at affordable prices. The chapter aims to investigate the role of mobile financial service design and development in dealing with financial exclusion. It was found that mobile financial services are promoting financial inclusion in various markets. However, few studies have been undertaken on the benefits of mobile financial services in dealing with the high rates of financial exclusion. The chapter recommended that to achieve financial inclusion, there is need for mobile financial services providers to take into account customer experience through the ease of using the phone interface. The chapter concluded that there is need for scholars in the fields of finance and economics to conduct research in the areas of mobile financial services and their role in society.

scholarly journals The Impact of Emerging Market Trends on the Development and Marketing of Financial Service Products in Zimbabwe Post Dollarization

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (6(J)) ◽  
pp. 216-226
Author(s):  
Tinevimbo Chokuda ◽  
Wilford Mawanza ◽  
Farai Chimboza
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Financial Service ◽  
Consumer Demographics ◽  
Market Trends ◽  
The Impact

Abstract: The research sought to analyse the impact of emerging market trends as measured by competition, technology and consumer demographics on the development and marketing of financial service products in Zimbabwe post dollarization. The Zimbabwean financial service sector has been largely characterised by new and changing market trends since dollarization. These trends have largely manifested in the form of entrance of new players in the market, a growing informal sector at the expense of the formal financial sector and the emergence of new technology paving way for the need to develop and market new financial service products. There is therefore need for financial service providers in Zimbabwe to continually embrace innovative product development and marketing strategies so as to shape banking products to fit consumers’ evolving financial needs much of which are well beyond the realm of traditional banking products. An explanatory research design was adopted in conjunction with a descriptive research design. Results from the study indicate that the entry of new financial institutions, removal of barriers between institutions, emergence of non-regulated financial institutions, increased consumer access to financial information owing to increased adoption of technology, market fragmentation and increased formal unemployment have a significant impact on the way financial service products are structured, provisioned. In light of that, it is recommended that financial service providers should design and tailor new business models to suit the emerging market environment.Keywords: Emerging market trends, development, financial services, Zimbabwe, post-dollarization

scholarly journals The Impact of Interest Rate Ceilings on Microfinance Industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Ali Saleh Alshebami ◽  
D. M. Khandare
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Research Subject ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Good Intention ◽  
The Interest Rate ◽  
The Impact

<p>Imposing ceilings on the interest rate has recently become one of the new hottest topics in microfinance industry; various debates have been discussing this issue to know the effect of interest rate ceilings on the supply of credit in particular and on microfinance industry in general. However in spite of the good intention behind these ceilings, there was no absolute result stating that ceilings have really contributed to the improvement or protection of the poor clients, indeed, these ceilings have hurt those low income people instead of helping them, due to these ceilings most of MFIs left the market or reduced their scale due to the inability to continue operating with low interest rate leaving the very poor clients without access to credit. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review the impact of imposing such ceilings on the interest rates and to find out what alterative solutions can be employed as substitutes for them. This paper is entirely based on the secondary data collected from various records related to microfinance such as microfinance books, official websites and reports, published papers, and other sources related to the research subject.</p>

scholarly journals Challenges Facing Financial Inclusion Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Tea Kasradze
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Financial Products ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Poor Population

Financial inclusion is often considered as an access to financial resources for the wide public and small and medium-sized businesses, although it is a much broader concept and includes a wide range of access to quality financial products and services, including loans, deposit services, insurance, pensions and payment systems. Mechanisms for protecting the rights of consumers of financial products and services are also considered to be subject to financial inclusion. Financial inclusion acquires great importance during the pandemic and post-pandemic period. The economic crisis caused by the pandemic is particularly painful for low-income vulnerable population. A large part of the poor population who were working informally has lost source of income due to lockdown from the pandemic. Remittances have also been reduced / minimized, as the remitters had also lost jobs and are unable to send money home. Today, when people die from Coronavirus disease, it may be awkward to talk about the financial side of a pandemic, but the financial consequences can be far-reaching if steps are not taken today to ensure access to and inclusion of financial resources. The paper examines the impact of the pandemic on financial inclusion and the responses of the governments and the financial sectors to the challenge of ensuring the financial inclusion of the poor population and small and medium enterprises.

scholarly journals The Nexus between Mobile Money Regulation, Innovative Technology and the Promotion of Financial Inclusion in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Howard Chitimira ◽  
Elfas Torerai
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Mobile Money ◽  
The Poor

The advent of mobile money innovations has given people in rural areas, informal settlements and other poor communities an opportunity to participate in Zimbabwe's mainstream financial economy. However, the technology-driven money services have presented some challenges to the traditional banking sector in general and the regulation of financial services in particular. Firstly, most mobile money services are products of telecommunication corporations, which are not banks. Telecommunication companies use their network reach to provide mobile money services via mobile devices at a cheaper cost than banks across the country in Zimbabwe. As such, banks face unprecedented competition from telecommunications companies that are venturing into financial services. It also appears that prudential regulation of banks cannot keep up with the fast pace at which technological innovations are developing and this has created a disjuncture between the regulation and the use of technological innovations to promote financial inclusion in Zimbabwe. The Banking Act [Chapter 24:20] 9 of 1999, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 22:15] 5 of 1999 and the National Payment Systems Act [Chapter 24:23] 21 of 2001 have a limited scope in terms of the regulation of mobile money services in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development launched the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2016-2020 to provide impetus to the financial inclusion of the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe. However, the NFIS appears to push more for bank-led financial inclusion than it does for innovation-driven initiatives such as mobile money services. This article highlights the positive influence of mobile money services in improving financial inclusion for the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe. The article also seeks to point out gaps and flaws in the financial services regulatory framework that may limit the potential of mobile money services to reach more people so that they actively participate in the Zimbabwean economy. It is submitted that the Zimbabwean mobile money services regulations and the financial regulatory framework should be carefully amended in line with the recent innovations in mobile money to adequately regulate the use of mobile money services and innovative technology to address the financial exclusion of the poor, unbanked and low-income earners in Zimbabwe.

scholarly journals INTEREST FREE MICROFINANCE: A GATEWAY OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION FOR KERALA

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (4SE) ◽  
pp. 51-58
Author(s):  
Fazal Muhammed
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Poor

Microfinance is a powerful poverty alleviation tool. It implies provision of financial services to poor and low-income people whose low economic standing excludes them from formal financial systems. Access to services such as, credit, venture capital, savings, insurance, remittance is provided on a micro-scale enabling participation of those with severely limited financial means. The provision of financial services to the poor helps to increase household income and economic security, build assets and reduce vulnerability; creates demand for other goods and services; and stimulates local economies. A large number of studies on poverty however, indicate that exclusion of the poor from the financial system is a major factor contributing to their inability to participate in the development process. In a typical developing economy the formal financial system serves no more than twenty to thirty percent of the population. The vast majority of those who are excluded are poor.

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