Earnings Quality in the Microfinance Industry

Leif Beisland and Roy Mersland
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Roy Mersland: UIA - University of Agder

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Abstract: This study investigates the popular claim that reported earnings are invalid as a performance measure of microfinance institutions. Using earnings quality metrics from the accounting literature, we are unable to document lower earnings quality for microfinance institutions than for listed corporations. Moreover, we find that the proposed alternative in the microfinance industry to reported earnings, adjusted earnings, do generally not score higher on earnings quality metrics than do reported earnings. This first study of earnings quality in the microfinance industry suggests that reported earnings are a relevant measure of the current and future financial performance of microfinance institutions.

Date: 2013
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Published in Microfinance in developing countries: Issues, policies and performance evaluations, Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp.83-106, 2013, ⟨10.1057/9781137301925_5⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05222109

DOI: 10.1057/9781137301925_5

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