Is access to credit a constraint for Latin American enterprises? An empirical analysis with firm-level data

Produced by: 
Money and Finance Research Group(MoFiR)
Available from: 
November 2014
Paper author(s): 
Andrea F. Presbitero
Roberta Rabellotti
Topic: 
Financial Economics
Microeconomics - Competition - Productivity
Fiscal Policy - Public and Welfare Economics
Year: 
2015

An intense process of deregulation and financial liberalization in Latin America has increased competitive pressures and led to bank restructuring and consolidation. This paper looks at firm access to credit in the region, focusing on the role of credit market structure. Using firm-level data from theWorld Bank Enterprise Survey, we find that access to bank credit is very heterogeneous. On average, smaller and less productive firms are less likely to apply for credit and more likely to be financially constrained. We also find that a high degree of bank penetration and competition are significantly correlated with a lower probability that borrowers are financially constrained. Foreign banks penetration has a negative effect on access to credit particularly in less developed and more concentrated markets, while it has a positive influence in more competitive and financially developed markets.

ACCESS PAPER

Research section: 
Latest Research
Share this