Since its birth in 1970s microfinance has been growing rapidly with the aim to lift people out of poverty and promote economic growth. Its role and importance has been amplified amidst the global financial crisis when trust into formal banking is shaken. Despite global recognition and popularity...

Recent changes in the microfinance landscape are characterized by increasing patterns of its integration with national financial systems and entry of commercial banks. Microfinance is no longer perceived as an isolated marginal sector of informal intermediation but rather constitutes particular...

Since its birth in 1970s microfinance has been growing rapidly with the aim to lift people out of poverty and promote economic growth. Its role and importance has been amplified amidst the global financial crisis when trust into formal banking is shaken. Despite global recognition and popularity...

This paper investigates the statistical properties of stock returns in the West African regional stock market and the link between the West African regional stock market and economic growth. To examine the nature of the distribution of West African regional stock returns, the daily closing...

The main purpose of this study was to explore the causal link between stock market performance and economic growth in terms of a simple theoretical and empirical literature framework. Researchers hold diverse opinions regarding the importance of stock markets playing a significant role in...

With this paper we seek to contribute to the literature on the relation between finance and growth. We argue that most studies in the field fail to measure the quality of financial intermediation but rather resort to using proxies on the size of financial systems. Moreover, cross-country...

A banking union limits international bank default contagion, eliminating inefficient liquidations. For particularly low short term returns, it also stimulates interbank flows. Both effects improve welfare. An undesirable effect arises for moderate moral hazard, as the banking union encourages...

Previous research has established (i) that a country’s financial sector influence future economic growth and (ii) that stock market index returns affect future economic growth. We extend and tie together these two strands of the growth literature by analyzing the relationship between banking...

Previous research has established (i) that a country’s financial sector influence future economic growth and (ii) that stock market index returns affect future economic growth. We extend and tie together these two strands of the growth literature by analyzing the relationship between banking...