Credit expansion and financial sustainability of microfinance institutions: A generalized method of moments panel data analysis

Abstract

This study examines the nexus between credit expansion and the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study also examines the interaction effects of credit expansion and interest rate/portfolio quality on MFI sustainability. The study relies on panel dataset of 136 MFIs across 31 SSA countries covering the year 2004 to 2018 and applies the Arellano-Bover/Blundell-Bond two-step Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) Windmeijer bias-corrected standard errors to analyze the data. The results establish that credit expansion matters in MFI financial sustainability. Specifically, the study uncovers that while the size of the loan portfolio and loan intensity are positively associated with MFI sustainability, the economic significance of loan intensity is higher. On the other hand, the other credit expansion proxy “credit growth” does not predict the sustainability of MFIs. The results also reveal that the loan intensity and potfolio at risk have interaction effects on MFI sustainability. However, the study fails to support an asymmetric effect of credit expansion on financial sustainability depending on the interest rate charged on loans. The study uses three proxies for credit expansion and gives useful insights for policymakers and/or MFI managers that loan intensity should be the main target of MFIs if the goal is to attain financial self-sufficiency. The study also examines the interaction effects of credit expansion and interest rate/portfolio quality on MFI sustainability and sheds light on what is expected from MFI managers to expand credit access to the poor without compromising sustainability.