Can Conventional Monetary Policy Stimulate Bank Credit? Evidence from a Developing Country

Abstract

The predominance of bank credit in financing the economies of less developed countries is prompting policymakers to stimulate this mode of financing. This study tests the ability of conventional monetary policy to stimulate the supply of bank credit to the private sector in Morocco. Based on the lending channel as a theoretical framework, an analytical framework to explore the conduct of monetary policy and the preconditions for the functioning of this channel was developed. In addition, a test of the impact of monetary policy on credit supply was conducted using bank-level data from a representative sample of the Moroccan banking sector. The results show that demand factors and the quality of potential borrowers are the main drivers of bank credit growth. They also show that monetary policy in Morocco directly affects credit growth. However, no evidence that this impact is mediated through credit supply was provided, indicating that the credit channel is not operational in Morocco. The policy implications of these results are discussed.