Loan repayment and female borrowers in African microfinance institutions

Imen Khanchel, Dorsaf Bentaleb and Cyrine Khiari

Afro-Asian Journal of Finance and Accounting, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 302-324

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether female borrowers exhibit higher loan repayment in African microfinance institutions (MFIs). The empirical study uses unbalanced panel data of 120 MFIs from 2006 to 2019. The results reveal that female borrowers have a positive impact on repayment performance. The presence of women reduces the portfolio at risk and the probability of default payment. We conclude that targeting female clients, who are generally risk-averse, improves the repayment performance of MFIs. We conclude that microfinance can lead to the feminisation of debt, as women are reliable in repayment.

Keywords: microfinance institutions; MFIs; repayment performance; women borrowers; Africa. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:afasfa:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:302-324

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