Frontiers in microfinance research for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs): a bibliometric analysis

Francis Lwesya () and Adam Beni Swebe Mwakalobo ()
Additional contact information
Francis Lwesya: The University of Dodoma
Adam Beni Swebe Mwakalobo: The University of Dodoma

Future Business Journal, 2023, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Abstract This article aims to present current research trends in microfinance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs), as microfinance plays an increasingly role in entrepreneurship development and poverty alleviation. The study uses a bibliometric analysis, in this work, we performed citation, bibliographic coupling, and keyword evolution analyses. The results show that research in microfinance for SMEs and microfinance institutions continue to grow. The authors found that recent research in microfinance for SMEs and microfinance institutions has evolved around eight thematic clusters, covering (1) access to and constraints on microcredit for SMEs (2) microfinance and economic empowerment, (3) sustainability of MFIs, (4) creditworthiness, microfinance technology infrastructure and financing patterns, (5) Islamic financial inclusion, (6) credit assessment models for microcredit, (7) microfinance and innovative business models, and (8) gender and equity crowdfunding. Research gaps in each of the thematic clusters are identified. Topics related to COVID-19, Islamic social finance, microfinance institutions, credit scoring models, crowdfunding, and entrepreneurial finance are likely to feature in the domain of microfinance and sustainability of MFIs in future.

Keywords: Microfinance; Microfinance institutions; SMEs; Microcredit; Bibliometric analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s43093-023-00195-3 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:futbus:v:9:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1186_s43093-023-00195-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://fbj.springeropen.com/

DOI: 10.1186/s43093-023-00195-3

Access Statistics for this article

Future Business Journal is currently edited by Soad Kamel Rizk and Hayam Wahba

More articles in Future Business Journal from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().