Intermediation Costs Research Articles

The effects of financial development on crop productivity: ARDL evidence from Indian agriculture

Purpose This work aims to empirically investigate the effects of financial development on crop productivity of India. Design/methodology/approach Time series data such as crop production index, International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) financial development index, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, arable land, rural population, trade openness and physical capital from 1980 to 2020 was used. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach of cointegration was used to determine the long-run equilibrium relationship between the selected time series. Also, ARDL long- and short-run coefficients were estimated to examine the effects of selected variables on crop productivity. Furthermore, to establish the robustness of results, long-run estimators such as fully modified least squares and the dynamic least squares were also used. Finally, using the vector error-correction model, causality between the selected time series was examined. Findings The ARDL cointegration test confirmed the existence of long-run equilibrium relationship among agricultural productivity, financial development, capital formation, GDP per capita, arable land, rural population and trade openness. The estimated long-run elasticities from all the three techniques and the short-run elasticities of ARDL have consistently suggested that the elasticity of financial development is higher (1.55% and 1.40%, respectively) in explaining the crop productivity of India. The short-run causality estimates indicated the presence of positive bidirectional causality between crop productivity and financial development and seven positive unidirectional causal relationships between the selected variables. Practical implications Agricultural credit being an important non-land input and essential for overall growth and sustenance of agricultural sector, the policymakers should ensure the overall development of its financial sector which will reduce the intermediation, informational and other transactional costs associated with agricultural credit. This will possibly result in timely availability and access to adequate and low-cost credit from institutional sources. Originality/value Though extensive research is available on the effects of financial development on economic growth, limited research is available concerning the impact of financial development on crop productivity, especially for an emerging economy like India. For India, predominantly studies have investigated the impact of farm credit on crop productivity but have not exclusively examined the effects of financial development on agricultural productivity. Therefore, this study not only adds to the empirical literature but also provides new evidence on the nexus between financial development and crop productivity by examining the effects of financial development on crop productivity using the composite financial development index developed by the IMF using the ARDL bounds test for cointegration and other econometric estimators.

Accessing Private Markets: What Does It Cost?

This paper provides the first empirical analysis of the costs of financial intermediation across private markets and a framework to estimate ex-post costs using observed fund terms. I access a proprietary dataset, develop a novel model, and estimate that it costs investors $0.05 to $0.26 per dollar committed over funds’ lifetimes. The corresponding fee drag on gross-to-net total value to paid-in capital is 0.1x to 0.7x and 5% to 8% in annualized terms. The results demonstrate cost economies of scale in which larger funds cost less in management fees. Finally, the fraction of costs attributable to non-performance fees is 53% to 75%.

Contesting coercion: U.S.-China strategic competition, the middle technology trap, and Chinese government-guided funds

This study examines the possible emergence of a Middle Technology Trap (MTT) in U.S.-China strategic competition through the lens of the Global Financial Network (GFN) and the Global Innovation Network (GIN). By conducting doctrinal analysis, theoretically informed case studies, and in-depth interviews, we offer a granular study into how the U.S. has been weaponizing its leading position in the GFN to affect China’s level of participation in the GIN. Our findings reveal three U.S. tactics to induce the MTT with China: first, leveraging U.S. private equity and venture capital (PEVC) to enhance its technology advantage over China; second, pushing U.S. investors to withdraw from China’s PEVC market, thereby restricting Chinese access to American capital; and third, inducing Advanced Business Services (ABS) supporting innovation and global business to cease or reduce their operations in China, thereby increasing intermediation costs for innovation. Although Chinese government-guided funds (GGFs) have managed to partially mitigate the “funding gap” from the departure of American PEVCs, they have yet to assume the brokerage role previously played by American PEVCs in both the GIF and the GIN. As such, our study contributes to a better understanding and theoretical advancements of the MTT by linking up the scholarship of innovation and finance with financial statecraft.

Examining The Impact of Inflation on Financial Development in The Fragile Five Economies with Asymmetric Cointegration Tests

This study examines the relationship between inflation and financial development indicators for the Fragile Five countries between 1981 and 2021. The study analysed the relationship between symmetric and asymmetric distributed lag regression models. Inflation appears to have a negative impact on financial development in countries other than Brazil and India. The results prove that the most extended correction process was experienced in India, and the shortest was experienced in Indonesia among the Fragile Five countries. Research results emphasise that high inflation negatively affects financial development in these economies by increasing the cost of financial intermediation.

How consistent are measures of financial liberalization in assessing its impact on bank cost efficiency? A cross–country empirical analysis

AbstractUsing a sample of commercial bank–year observations covering 104 countries over the 1999–2017 period, we consider five contemporary de jure and de facto indicators of financial liberalization to provide a comparative assessment of their impact on bank cost efficiency. With the sole exception of one de jure index, all other financial liberalization measures consistently indicate an improvement in cost efficiency. We also compare the effects before and after the 2007 global financial crisis, which instigated a policy shift from deregulation to prudential re–regulation. We find that prudential re–regulation did not detrimentally affect bank cost efficiency. Our results for the main financial liberalization measures hold irrespective of countries’ stage of economic development and prove robust to re–estimations based on a single-country efficiency frontier for the US, alternative model specifications and methodologies that account for endogeneity and cross section dependence. The key policy implication from our findings is that prudential policies aimed at fostering stability and less bank risk–taking, can be pursued without any risks of hindering financial intermediation and lowering bank cost efficiency.

Import Constraints

During the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, international shipping and logistics capacity was strained, limiting the quantity of imports. We investigate the impact of an import constraint on inflation, following an increase in domestic demand. Whether the binding import constraint raises inflation depends on how it affects trade intermediation costs. If the binding constraint raises trade costs, then import price inflation also increases. In this case, however, foreign producer price inflation falls and import quantities rise more for inputs than final goods. Both these model results appear counterfactual, which suggests that import constraints may not explain observed import price inflation.

Impact of Financial Liberalisation and Deregulation on Banking Sector in Pakistan

The paper analyses the market perception about the performance of Pakistani commercial banks in the wake of financial liberalisation and deregulation measures taken by the central bank over the last two decades. For this purpose, it uses the Survey approach. Out of 35 commercial banks, 15 banks have been chosen for analysis purposes. The paper mainly finds that key banking reforms have helped in removing the flaws in the banking sector of Pakistan. In particular, privatisation of banks, the deregulation and institutional strengthening measures, switching towards market-based monetary and credit management systems were instrumental in streamling banking operations. Similarly, the removal of restrictions on entry of private banks and operational restrictions on foreign banks also significantly contributed to the provision of quality banking services. The resultant competitive environment is the key factor behind improved efficiency of banks in Pakistan. The banks devised a number of strategies to respond to the competitive market conditions in the country. However, they faced various constraints in this regard, especially lack of managerial skills, and in hiring IT professionals, etc. As a part of future strategy, banks are likely to form more strategic alliances with foreign banks and undertake the expansion of business through widening of branch network. Despite a number of successful stories on different fronts, the central bank could not succeed in narrowing down the banking spread which is one of the key measures of banking performance. High domestic inflation, large non performing loans (NPLs) of banks, high administrative expenses, larger intermediation costs, and poor debt recovery are identified as important factors behind widening of banking spread. 1. INTRODUCTION The banking sector of an economy generally performs three primary functions: the facilitation of payment system, mobilisation of savings, and allocation of funds to stakeholders like government, investors, consumers, and business community who can utilise them for generation of economic activities.1 By virtue of its pivotal role, the banking sector can exert its positive influence on various segments of an economy. This gives it a privileged position among other sectors. In view of its significant role, economic managers always endeavour to devise such policies which could help provide the sector a level-playing field, thereby enabling it to operate on sound, efficient, and competitive footings. As in other emerging market economies, banks have been playing an important role in Pakistan also. However, the financial landscape of the country changed significantly in the 1970s with the nationalisation of Pakistani commercial banks. The Government also took various regressive steps, which included, among others, the initiation of subsidised bank credit schemes, the introduction of a complex system of credit ceilings, and imposition of controls on interest rates.3 These policy measures severely affected the efficiency of the banks. By the end of the 1980s, it was felt that Pakistan’s banking sector was not able to meet adequately the financial needs of the country

Determinants of bank credit in Jordan and Palestine: a comparative analysis

Purpose- This paper analyzes the determinants of the annual changes in conventional banks’ credit in Jordan and Palestine. In addition, the paper examines whether the differences in the determinants of bank credit in both economies are due to country or bank-specific factors. As one might expect, the argument behind this paper rests on the fact that the Israeli occupation of Palestine makes the political and economic environments of the two countries very different. Methodology- A panel of data of all thirteen (13) Jordanian conventional banks and 12 Palestinian conventional banks are used in the econometric analyses (2010 – 2021). For each set of banks, the annual percentage changes in credit are regresed on the percentage annual change in bank deposits, equity is equity capital, bank size, and bank income diversification level. Following this exercise, the differences in of both sets of coefficients are examined using the F-test. If different, one can argue that the difference can be due to the differential effects of either bank-level differences or country-level differences. To examine this issue, we re-estimate tha main model by controlling for the presence of fixed effects in the bank credit relationship and re-estimate the F-test. If the F test is significant, this implies that the differences in the magnitude of the relationshisp are due to country factors and not to bank-specific factors. Findings- Based on the estimated results, several interesting observations are noted. First, there are differences in the determinants of the annual change in bank credit between banks in Jordan and in Palestinian in terms of the signs of the independent variables and their values. Second, the significant differences in the determinants of the annual change in bank credit between banks in Jordan and in Palestinian are due to country-specific factors and not the bank-specific factors. Finally, given the differences in the political and economic environments in which banks in Jordan and Palestine operate, one should not be surprised of the main finding of this thesis. Conclusion- It would be informative to examine the performance of both sets of banks in terms of other issue including the determinants of cost of intermediation, stability, bank discipline, and bank competition. Keywords: Jordan, Palestine, banks, credit growth, equity capital, seemingly-unrelated regression. JEL Codes: G20, G21, G24

Impact of Bank-Specific and Macroeconomic Factors on the Net Interest Margin of Financial Institutions in Sri Lanka

Banks and other deposit-taking financial institutions play a crucial role in any country's economy. The Interest Spread and Net Interest Margin (NIM) in Sri Lankan financial institutions are considerably higher than in other regional countries, indicating high intermediation costs. This paper aims to identify the primary factors contributing to maintaining a higher margin in the sector. Credit risk, liquidity risk, firm size, operational expenses, and earning ability were considered as bank-specific explanatory variables, while interest rate, inflation rate, and economic growth rate were used as macroeconomic explanatory variables. The selected sample comprised seven Licensed Commercial Banks (LCBs), three Licensed Specialized Banks (LSBs), and five Licensed Finance Companies (LFCs) based on their total assets. Data were collected from published secondary sources over a period of 10 years (2009-2019). The data for 2020, 2021, and 2022 were omitted due to the negative impact of COVID-19 and the economic crisis in the country. Multiple regressions with a fixed-effect model were employed to identify significant variables. The results reveal that firm size, credit risk, interest rate, and economic growth are significant across the entire sample. However, firm size emerges as the only industry-specific significant variable in Licensed Finance Companies (LFCs).

Measuring the unit cost of financial intermediation in South Africa: A measure of bank productivity

AbstractThis paper presents evidence on productivity growth in the South African banking industry in the last 30 years. The productivity measures we construct shed light on whether the development, increased contribution and influence of the banking industry have translated into lower cost of intermediation and improved productivity and efficiency of the banking sector. Our results show that there is no apparent trend in the unit cost of intermediation in the period 1993 to 2019, which is indicative of constant productivity.

Efficiency and Vulnerability in Networks: A Game Theoretical Approach

Defining measures of network efficiency and vulnerability is a pivotal aspect of modern networking paradigms. We approach this issue from a game theoretical perspective, considering networks where actors have social or economic interests modeled through a cooperative game. This allows us to define, for each network, a family of efficiency measures and another of vulnerability measures, parameterized by the game. The proposed measures use the within groups’ and the between groups’ Myerson values. These values, respectively, measure the portion of the classical Myerson allocation corresponding to the productivity of players and the part related to intermediation costs. Additionally, they indicate the portion of total centrality in social networks attributed to communication or betweenness. In our proposal, the efficiency of a network is the proportion of total productivity (or centrality) that players can retain using the network topology. Intermediation costs (and betweenness centrality) can be seen as a weakness with a negative impact. Therefore, we suggest calculating vulnerability as the proportion of expenses players incur in intermediation payments. We explore the properties of these measures and tailor them to various structures and specific games, also analyzing their asymptotic behavior.

FinTech and Digital Finance: Foes or Friends after COVID-19 Pandemic?

Purpose- In the recent years, there is a high decline in the financial intermediation cost all thanks to the increased competition and technological advancement. The aim of this research is to find the awareness level and frequency of using FinTech during and after COVID-19. We also study FinTech in the terms of geographical profile of respondents. Design/methodology/approach- The data used in this research are both Primary and Secondary. Primary data was gathered from 143 respondents through online structured questionnaire. The survey was conducted in the State Haryana. The study is descriptive and exploratory in nature. Findings- The findings of the paper revealed that the frequency and the use of Digital financial services and FinTech increased after the pandemic. The needs of the people increase its demand. Further, the geographic profile of respondents has no influence on the use of FinTech but gender and annual income have significant influence on the frequency of using DFS on monthly basis. Practical implications- Based on the findings, the awareness level and frequency of using FinTech has been revealed. Suggestions and Recommendations have also been passed on how FinTech helps in accelerating financial inclusion and how the use of FinTech can be increased in the rural areas. Originality/value- The use of FinTech is increasing day by day, there is a need to analyse the use of FinTech amongst the section of population, especially those who are living in rural areas. This research also examines the role of FinTech in accelerating financial Inclusion. The motive of financial inclusion is also to provide financial services to each and every section of society including rural areas. Index Terms- FinTech, Digital Financial Services, Digital payments, Financial Inclusion, COVID-19, Digital Finance Paper type- Research paper.

Keuangan digital: suatu studi literatur

The financial industry has experienced a continuous evolution in service delivery due to digitization, where this evolution is characterized by expanded connectivity and improved information processing speed both at the customer interface and in back-office processes. The role of contracts in the economy has recently received great attention, where contracts are an important element of the operation of a market economy. The relevance of digital finance and financial inclusion for poverty alleviation and economic growth is of interest to policymakers and academics alike, particularly because of a number of issues that if addressed can make digital finance work better for individuals, businesses, governments and economies. Digital finance and financial inclusion have several benefits for financial service users, digital financial providers, governments and the economy such as increasing financial access among poor individuals, reducing financial intermediation costs for banks and fintech providers, and increasing aggregate spending for governments. The purpose of this study was to determine the determinants of digital finance. This study used a systematic literature review method and used 18 articles as study material, which were obtained from the scopus.com and sciencedirect.com pages. The results of the study show the determinants of digital finance, both variables that influence, are influenced or mediate. The results of the literature study did not find digital finance as a moderating variable.

Micro Finance Institution Services and Performance of Restaurants in Mombasa County, Kenya

The expansion of the economy depends on the availability of financial services, notably credit and savings options. As a result, Kenya's economy has not grown and developed as expected as a result of MSMEs. Medium and Small entities encounter several weaknesses that hinder their potential usefulness towards long-term sustainability of the economy. The lack of credit services is one of these concerns. The efforts of microfinance institutions to make their services available to small and medium-sized businesses that have not profited from the traditional formal banking system have been recognized as a result of the growth and expansion of SMEs. Because of this, the researcher evaluates how microfinance services affect the performance of restaurants in Mombasa's core business district. Researchers hope to learn how microfinance training affects the performance of Mombasa CBD restaurants; how the regulatory framework for microfinance affects Mombasa CBD restaurants; whether access to credit affects Mombasa CBD restaurant performance; and the impact of microfinance credit cost on Mombasa CBD restaurant performance. The study was based on Balance Scorecard theory, Resource-based theory, Pecking order theory, Credit Access theory and Management theory. A descriptive survey design was used in this investigation for restaurants over seven years and above. 114 people who worked at the selected restaurants in Mombasa's core business centre were selected whereby, 57 of whom were managers and 57 were waiters. The researchers used the census approach, in which all employees were included. The study data was through questionnaires. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 25 for Windows was used for data analysis. In order to get the most accurate results, we used a variety of statistical methods such as means, frequency tables, percentages, standard deviations correlation and regression. The study found that training and microfinance regulatory framework indicated an insignificant relationship with performance of restaurants in Mombasa County however access to microfinance credit and microfinance credit cost indicated a positive significant relationship with performance by SMEs in Mombasa County. The study concluded that Owners of businesses can benefit from training in the form of expanded professional networks, the transfer of technology, the formation of new businesses, and the acquisition of superior management practices. Business success and continued operation depend on the availability of debt financing. However, MFIs are hesitant to lend to SMEs because they are seen as higher risks and SMEs typically do not have collateral to back up their loans. The study also concludes that the amount of the loan is a crucial factor in microfinance lending since it affects the overall cost of financial intermediation. The study recommends that Microfinance institutions should continue training restaurant owners on financial management for the purposes of sustaining enterprises. This will create better understanding on how to manage their funds more efficiently and effectively. In order to make it easier MFIs to have favorable financial performance, the institutions ought to adopt methods that will make it easier for MFIs to have improved liquidity. This will allow the institutions to be more efficient in their financial operations. The study also recommends that microfinance institutions and policymakers should think about incorporating an affordable micro-insurance plan as part of the microfinance package for all its clients who seek for loans. Small and medium-sized enterprise management should be more proactive in approaching MFIs to analyze their business progress and share their current needs and concerns.

Deregulation and Financial Intermediation Cost: An International Comparison

AbstractCalculations for 15 countries reveal falling unit costs of financial intermediation in most cases, especially where unit cost was high during the 1970s. This result coincides with the concomitant convergence of both unit cost and the deregulation index over the period: Countries with a high unit cost were initially more strictly regulated and subsequently deregulated more. Despite this, the international unit cost barely declined due to the decreasing weight of low unit cost countries in total financial production after the mid‐1980s. Focusing on the specific effect of deregulation, the econometric analysis displays a negative and significant link between deregulation change and unit cost variation. Further analyses reveal that the effect of a change in deregulation depends on banks' market power. Thus, the stagnating unit cost observed in the United States and the United Kingdom, the two largest providers of financial services, could be due to weaker deregulation reforms—deregulation was already high in these countries during the 1980s—and a concomitant reduction in competition.

Does credit diversification drive banks’ cost of intermediation? An empirical exploration

The disparity between the interest rates on loans and deposits is a widely used indicator of how expensive financial intermediation is for a community. The nations which reflect lower intermediation costs have higher levels of banking penetration and financial development (Gupta et al., 2021). This research examines the impact of credit diversification strategy on cost of intermediation of the Indian commercial banks. Additionally, our study shows the moderating role of bank ownership in this nexus. The static and dynamic estimation of panel data of the banks during the period 2014 to 2020 are carried out to analyse this relationship. Our baseline results refute the findings of Bustaman et al. (2016) and Huynh and Dang (2021) and indicate that the more diversified a bank’s credit portfolio, the higher its cost of intermediation. Besides, the results reflect the effect of credit diversification in inflating the cost of intermediation is less severe for the banks with public ownership. Thus, this research emphasizes while promoting a diversified strategy, regulators and bank managers should carefully evaluate the positive impact of credit diversification on banks’ cost of intermediation with a caution that the positive impact is more severe for private sector banks.

Determinants of the Cost of Financial Intermediation: Evidence from Emerging Economies

This study examines the determinants of financial intermediation costs of banks in ten Emerging Economies (EEs) in the period 2000–2018 using panel data of 1335 banks. Empirically, this study applies the single-stage dealership model and its extensions by introducing new bank and country-level variables. We find robust evidence that investment in government securities and market openness positively affect bank intermediation costs while the trilemma index negatively affects them. During the world financial crisis, bank intermediation costs increased. Moreover, we observe that cost inefficiency, credit risk, and regulatory regime are the crucial drivers of bank intermediation costs. We draw important implications for scholars and policymakers.

Profitabilitas pada bank umum syariah dan peran biaya intermediasi, capital adequacy ratio, pembiayaan mudharabah, financing to deposit ratio, dan dana pihak ketiga

This study aims to determine the effect of bank intermediation costs, capital adequacy ratio, mudharabah financing, financing-to-deposit ratio, and third-party funds on profitability in Islamic commercial banks for the 2016-2020 period. This research type is quantitative, while the analysis method uses multiple linear regression. The results of this study indicate that intermediation costs significantly positively affect profitability (return on assets). In contrast, the capital adequacy ratio, mudharabah financing, financing-to-deposit ratio, and third-party funds do not affect the profitability of Islamic commercial banks.

Reforms, Productivity, and Efficiency in Banking: The Indian Experience (Distinguished Lecture)

India embarked on a strategy of economic reforms in the wake of a serious balance-ofpayments crisis in 1991. A central plank of the reforms was reform in the financial sector and, with banks being the mainstay of financial intermediation, the banking sector. The objective of the banking sector reforms was to promote a diversified, efficient and competitive financial system with the ultimate objective of improving the allocative efficiency of resources through operational flexibility, improved financial viability and institutional strengthening. Beginning from 1992, Indian banks were gradually exposed to greater domestic and international competition. India’s approach to banking reforms has been somewhat different from many other countries. Whereas there has not been privatisation of public sector banks, through a process of partial disinvestment a number of public sector banks have been listed in Stock Exchanges and have become subject to market discipline and greater transparency in this manner. Besides, newly opened banks from the private sector and entry and expansion of several foreign banks resulted in greater competition. Consequent to these developments, there has been a consistent decline in the share of public sector banks in total assets of commercial banks and a declining trend of Herfindahl’s concentration index. Improvements in efficiency of the banking system were reflected in a number of indicators, such as, a gradual reduction in cost of intermediation (defined as the ratio of operating expense to total assets) in the post reform period across various bank groups (barring foreign banks), and decline in the non-performing loans. As a result of these changes, there has been an all-around productivity improvement in the Indian banking sector. While the cost income-ratio (i.e., the ratio of operating expenses to total income less interest expense) as well as net interest margin (i.e., the excess of interest income over interest expense, scaled by total bank assets) of Indian banks showed a declining trend during the post-reform period, the business per employee of Indian banks increased over three-fold in real terms exhibiting an annual compound growth rate of nearly 9 percent. At the same time, the profit per employee increased more than five-fold, implying a compound growth of around 17 percent. Branch productivity also recorded concomitant improvements. Such productivity improvements in the banking sector could be driven by two factors: technological improvements, which expands the range of production possibilities and a catching up effect, as peer pressure amongst banks compels them to raise productivity levels. As far as the future of Indian banking is concerned, a number of issues, such as the credit to small and medium enterprises, customers’ interests and financial inclusion, reducing procedural formalities, listing of the public sector banks in the stock exchange and related market discipline are of paramount importance.

Market competition, capital regulation and cost of financial intermediation: an empirical study on the banking sector of Bangladesh

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of market competition, and capital regulation on the cost of financial intermediation of banks of the Bangladesh banking industry.Design/methodology/approachThis study has used a balanced panel dataset comprised of 340 firm-year observations for 34 commercial banks in the Bangladesh banking industry from 2011 to 2020. The Prais Winsten panel estimator has been used to assess the impact of market competition and capital regulation on the cost of financial intermediation of banks.FindingsBased on the regression results, this study has documented that greater market competition results in a lower cost of financial intermediation for banks. Similarly, an increase in the regulatory capital of banks increases the cost of financial intermediation of banks. The main findings of this study are found robust by using alternative proxies for the cost of financial intermediation, market competition and capital regulation. The regression results also suggest that private commercial banks tend to have a higher cost of financial intermediation than state-owned commercial banks.Research limitations/implicationsThe regulatory reforms should aim to foster sustainable and optimal market competition for the Bangladesh banking industry to regulate the market power of banks to reduce the cost of financial intermediation. The regulatory authority of Bangladesh should find the optimal policy measures for implementing the capital regulation in the banking industry which would reduce the cost of financial intermediation margin of banks.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies which have used structural market competition measures, this study has used non-structural market competition measures to assess the relationship between market competition and cost of financial intermediation in the Bangladesh banking industry.