Financial Development in Developing Countries and Its Impact on Economic Growth between 2008 and 2017

This article examines how the level of financial development has changed in the ten years between 2008 and 2017 in connection to the most significant events in the global economy and finance and how financial development has influenced economic growth in developing countries. The study measures financial development following the World Bank (2020) approach and using indicators of financial access, financial depth, financial efficiency and financial stability, corresponding to financial institutions and financial markets. Based on a two-way fixed effects model, we find that financial development has positively and significantly contributed to economic growth in these countries during the ten years between 2008 and 2017, through increased access of individual consumers and firms to financial products and services. Other variables such as the depth, efficiency and stability of financial institutions and markets do not correlate significantly with the economic growth of developing countries between 2008 and 2017. This paper concludes that the access to financial institutions for individuals living in developing nations is favourably and significantly connected to economic growth in these countries.