The Impact of Microfinance Loans on the Clients' Enterprises: Caja Los Andes, Bolivia

This paper analyzes the impact of microfinance loans on productivity and growth of micro-enterprises using a unique client database from Caja Los Andes, one of the leading microfinance providers in Bolivia. Our results show that the clients put the additional funds to good use: Clients with a higher number and a higher average size of prior loans are found to have higher growth rates than other clients. The effects on productivity depend on the size of the business. Surprisingly, clients with larger businesses benefit more from prior loans than others.