Does technological inclusion promote financial inclusion among SMEs? Evidence from South-East Asian (SEA) countries

Francis K. Agyekum, Krishna Reddy, Damien Wallace and Nirosha Wellalage ()

Global Finance Journal, 2022, vol. 53, issue C

Abstract: This study investigates whether the use and ownership of information and technological amenities by SMEs enhance their access to external credits. The data on the website ownership of, and email usage by 6805 firms in the emerging South-East Asian (SEA) markets collected from the World Bank Group Enterprise Survey (WBES) micro-database served as our sample. We used a random-effect panel logistic regression model for the baseline data analysis. Our results show that the usage of ICT-based services contributes to access to external credit facilities by SMEs, enhancing their financial inclusion. Our findings suggest that policymakers should focus on improving technological infrastructure and amenities that help dissipate opacity and information asymmetry in supplying credit to SMEs in emerging markets.

Keywords: Financial inclusion; SMEs; South-East Asia (SEA) countries; Panel logistic regression; Information asymmetry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 G28 G32 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:glofin:v:53:y:2022:i:c:s1044028321000168

DOI: 10.1016/j.gfj.2021.100618

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