Until recently, utility services (telecommunications, power, water, and gas) throughout the world were provided by large, usually state-owned, monopolies. However, encouraged by technological change, regulatory innovation, and pressure from international organizations, many developing countries...

This investment climate analysis reviews the experiences of over 3000 surveyed business owners in 26 states of Nigeria about the aspects of the business climate that affect their businesses. It complements a similar study in 2007 that covered 11 other Nigerian states. The survey asks business...

Although South Africa' financial sector is well-developed, microenterprise managers see access to finance as a serious problem. Managers of black-owned microenterprises are more likely to see it as a problem - and are less likely to use bank financing - than white-owned microenterprises....

How does entry by foreign banks affect lending to small and medium-size enterprises in developing countries? Analysis of data from a large cross-country survey of enterprises finds that foreign bank entry benefits firms of all sizes, although it seems to benefit larger firms more.Existing...

We jointly analyze the static, selection, and dynamic effects of domestic, foreign, and state ownership on bank performance. We argue that it is important to include indicators of all the relevant governance effects in the same model. quot;Nonrobustnessquot; checks (which purposely exclude some...

Do foreign banks lend less to small and medium enterprises than domestic banks in developing countries? Analysis of data from four countries in Latin America suggests that although small foreign banks lend less than small domestic banks, the difference for large banks is considerably less. In...

Foreign banks are playing an increasingly large role in many developing countries, holding more than 50 percent of banking assets in several of these countries. But important issues about foreign bank entry continue to be debated.In recent years foreign bank participation has increased...

In recent years foreign banks have expanded their presence significantly in several developing economies. In Argentina and Chile in Latin America and in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland in Eastern Europe, foreign-controlled banks now hold more than half of total banking assets. In other...

Foreign banks entering Argentina's domestic banking sector in the mid-1990s did not merely follow their clients abroad. They exerted competitive pressure on domestic Argentine banks, especially those focused on mortgage lending or manufacturing. Overhead, profitability, and interest margins were...