The impact of debt: International versus local debt in microfinance organizations

IF 6.3 2区经济学 Q1 BUSINESS, FINANCE

Research in International Business and Finance Pub Date : 2025-02-28 DOI:10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.102848

Tigist Woldetsadik Sommeno , Roy Mersland , Trond Randøy

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Microfinance organizations (MFOs) increasingly access global debt and local debt markets. This study investigates whether such access benefits MFOs’ cost efficiency, using agency theory and capital market liability of foreignness theory. Analyzing data from 655 MFOs observed in 88 countries between 1998 and 2015, this study finds that, on average, MFOs with debt tend to be more cost-efficient than MFOs without debt. The study also finds that, on average, MFOs with only international debt are more cost-efficient than MFOs with only local debt. However, the cost efficiency diminishes for MFOs exposed to foreign debtholders from institutionally distant countries. These results offer salient policy implications for debtholders and debt-seeking MFOs by highlighting the cost efficiency benefit of debt, especially international debt, for MFOs while simultaneously underscoring the detrimental moderating effect of institutional distance.

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来源期刊

Research in International Business and Finance BUSINESS, FINANCE-

CiteScore

11.20

自引率

9.20%

发文量

240

期刊介绍： Research in International Business and Finance (RIBAF) seeks to consolidate its position as a premier scholarly vehicle of academic finance. The Journal publishes high quality, insightful, well-written papers that explore current and new issues in international finance. Papers that foster dialogue, innovation, and intellectual risk-taking in financial studies; as well as shed light on the interaction between finance and broader societal concerns are particularly appreciated. The Journal welcomes submissions that seek to expand the boundaries of academic finance and otherwise challenge the discipline. Papers studying finance using a variety of methodologies; as well as interdisciplinary studies will be considered for publication. Papers that examine topical issues using extensive international data sets are welcome. Single-country studies can also be considered for publication provided that they develop novel methodological and theoretical approaches or fall within the Journal''s priority themes. It is especially important that single-country studies communicate to the reader why the particular chosen country is especially relevant to the issue being investigated. [...] The scope of topics that are most interesting to RIBAF readers include the following: -Financial markets and institutions -Financial practices and sustainability -The impact of national culture on finance -The impact of formal and informal institutions on finance -Privatizations, public financing, and nonprofit issues in finance -Interdisciplinary financial studies -Finance and international development -International financial crises and regulation -Financialization studies -International financial integration and architecture -Behavioral aspects in finance -Consumer finance -Methodologies and conceptualization issues related to finance