The earlier theories considered trade credit as a substitute for bank credit. Recent theories suggest that bank credit and trade credit can also be considered as two complementary sources of financing. By using South African panel data from 2007 to 2015, the study examines if the problem of financial inclusion in South Africa can be mitigated by utilising trade credit data. The empirical findings using trade credit at current period are consistent with the earlier theories of trade credit that trade credit and bank credit are substitutes, but the model was not robust to estimation techniques. The study also used the lagged trade credit as a variable of interest and found that it is positively related to bank credit. This means that the trade credit data from the previous period can facilitate access to bank credit. Therefore, the information from trade credit can serve as a signal about firms’ quality and thus facilitates access to bank finance. / Economics / M. Com (Economics)

Microfinance relates to the provision, by specialized microfinance institutions (MFIs), of small-scale financial services - such as credit, savings, and insurance - to the poorer sections of the population. These sections have traditionally been excluded by the financial system. Microfinance is viewed as a system put into place in order to overcome market failures that are created by banks and that are omnipresent in the developing world. In development policy, microfinance has received considerable attention during the last twenty years, and the industry has grown substantially. Interestingly, the sector has been more successful in reaching out to people in some countries than in others. The sector has also developed in an unequal way within countries. The reasons why this happened are not directly apparent. This doctoral dissertation addresses the uneven development of the microfinance sector and aims at identifying factors that explain it.<p><p>The dissertation consists of three main parts. The first part, which consists of two papers, combines different datasets on the outreach of MFIs to assess in which countries MFIs have developed most. The papers indicate that the microfinance sector is more present in the richer countries of the developing world. It also reaches more clients in countries that receive more international aid. Population density also plays a stimulating role, which partially explains why the sector is still underdeveloped in rural areas.<p><p>The second part of the dissertation, which exists of one paper, explores in more depth the relationship between traditional financial sector development and microfinance institutions. The paper, co-authored with Bert D’Espallier, shows that MFIs reach more clients and are more profitable in countries where access to the traditional financial system is low. This is in line with the market-failure hypothesis. Along the same line, we find that MFIs serve poorer people in countries with well-developed financial systems. This observation is an important element to take into account in the debate on mission drift of the sector, where it is feared that MFIs drift away from serving the poor. The paper shows that MFIs in countries with well-developed banking sectors have less space to move up market and consequently to drift from the sector’s general mission.<p><p>The third and final part of the dissertation is a quantitative study on the spread and expansion process of MFIs in one Latin American country, Peru. The roles that district characteristics play in the decision to open an MFI branch are scrutinized. The paper finds that MFIs mainly increase financial access in districts with higher levels of development. Districts where banks are already present also have a higher probability that MFIs will open a branch there. This demonstrates that the two kinds of institutions co-exist in several districts, but most probably serve another clientele. Overall, although strategies differ between different types of Peruvian MFIs, the paper finds that they do not seem to be driven by a pure developmental logic that would push them towards the poorest or totally unbanked regions of the country. <p><p>On the whole, the main conclusions of the dissertation can be summarized as follows. First, the dissertation demonstrates that the outreach of the microfinance sector is influenced by a number of macro factors. Consequently, country-specific and macro-economic factors should be taken into account when evaluating MFI performance. Second, the dissertation shows that MFIs substitute the traditional banking sector. MFIs thus fulfill an important part of their mission, i.e. they have helped to increase financial access in the developing world. However, the study also suggests that MFIs still fail to serve a significant number of poor people. This leads to a third important observation, namely that MFIs may in fact not strive to serve the poor as such. Rather, it seems that they are currently focusing on the un-served market in general. The observation indicates that there is a need for a more thorough investigation on the issue of whom the unbanked in the developing countries are and whom MFIs actually strive to serve. Finally, since the outreach and performance of MFIs is dependent on the presence of a stimulating macro-environment, it remains a challenge to serve the financially excluded in the more remote areas of the developing countries and the people in the poorest ones. <p><p><p> / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The diploma thesis deals with the occurence of price bubbles in the real estate markets and with the consequences resulting from their existence for the monetary policy authorities and for the macroprudential supervision. At first, the nature of price bubbles, the circumstances of their occurence and downfall and the possibilities of their identification are explained, while they are divided into rational and irrational bubbles. This is followed by the characteristics of the real estate market, by a description of its operation and by assessment of its specifics compared to the markets of other assets, while the real estate market is characterized by several market imperfections which constantly prevent it from heading to the equilibrium. Next part of the thesis refers to the analysis of the potential price bubble in the current Czech real estate market, separately for both the residential and the commercial segment of the market. Attention is paid to the central bank's response to current developments. In the last part, the thesis focuses on the implications of the impact of price bubbles on the real estate markets for the central banks' monetary policy and for macroprudential supervision authorities. The thesis also discusses the importance of asset prices in the context of inflation targeting and the importance of the role of real estate markets in systemic financial crises.

This is a study about digital maturity within the financial sector. Specifically, this paper delves into what factors are perceived to have an effect on the digital maturity of the organizations within the sector. Furthermore, the study also examines whether the covid-19 pandemic is perceived to have changed any of these factors or any of the aspects of digital maturity. This will be evaluated through a thematic analysis of the data collected via a series of semi-structured interviews. The respondents who have been interviewed are all employed within the financial sector and have been employed throughout the pandemic. To analyze the collected data, two digital maturity models have been deployed to assess which factors have an effect on the digital maturity levels of the organizations in question. The results indicate that there are several factors influencing the digital maturity of the financial sector. Digital competence is perceived to have a positive effect in terms of how it affects the digital maturity levels, while dated systems and old ways of working appear to have a substantial negative effect on the digital maturity levels. The leadership and vision of the organizations appear to have a negative as well as a positive effect. The study also concludes that the perceived pressure from outside of the organization to digitize their operations might be a bigger factor than what previous research has indicated. While the covid-19 pandemic is perceived by the respondents to have had some effect on the digital ventures of the organization, none of the respondents perceived that the pandemic had been a major factor in regard to their digital transformation. Rather the digitalization of the organization’s ventures had been on-going before the pandemic, and the pandemic was therefore seen as an indicator that the organization needed to continue their work to digitize their processes.

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 highlighted the societal impacts of bank risk-taking. A strong focus on maximizing profits for shareholders combined with a disregard for, and  underestimation of risks led to the downfall of large banks such as Lehman Brothers and multiple other banks getting bailed out by several governments and other banks. The financial crisis spread and impacted all major financial markets across the globe, which highlights the importance of investigating the banking sector from a global perspective. In addition, the influences of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on financial performance and risk have been a growing topic in research as well as in practice. Most banks today invest large amounts of money in CSR activities. The question of how bank spending in CSR activities impacts market risk is important. There are two contradicting views on CSR activities and market risk. The risk mitigation view suggests that banks that focus on stakeholder satisfaction have lower risk due to increased moral capital with stakeholders. The overinvestment view suggests that managers waste scarce resources by overinvesting in CSR activities to further selfish goals and therefore increase risk. This study examines the relationship between sustainability performance (ESG Combined score) and market risk (VaR/CVaR) using a deductive approach. The authors sample 159 banks from 39 countries and all 7 economic regions from 2011-2022. Data is used for testing hypotheses. Results find high ESG Combined Scores are associated with lower VaR/CVaR and results are robust to modifications in VaR/CVaR calculation assumptions. Disaggregation of ESG pillars shows that social pillar scores decrease VaR/CVaR in banks while environmental and governance pillars are insignificant. Results primarily lend support to the risk mitigation view and stakeholder theory stating that firms should focus more on stakeholder satisfaction than maximizing shareholder value. Complementing theories such as legitimacy theory and resources-based view are also considered important theories for explaining the results.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) och hållbarhet i finanssektorn har under de senaste åren blivit en mycket omdiskuterad fråga. I denna studie har jag undersökt vilka hållbarhetsrelaterade utmaningar som finns inför framtiden för den svenska finansmarknaden. Genom att titta på de finansiella aktörerna Swedbank, Folksam och Söderberg &amp; Partners verksamheter samt prata med deras respektive hållbarhetschefer har det framkommit flera utmaningar. En av dem är att kunna hantera de risker som en omställning från en icke hållbar verksamhet till en hållbar verksamhet innebär. En annan utmaning är att förstå den effekten ens handlingar leder till i det långa loppet. Genom en granskning av EU-kommissionens rapport och handlingsplan gällande finanssektorns viktiga roll i att klara klimatmålen för år 2030 har det även framkommit fler utmaningar och möjligheter för den finansiella marknaden att utveckla sina verksamheter.Studien visar också att ordet CSR inte används i finansbranschen längre utan att de använder sig av ordet hållbarhet. Endast i ett avseende pratar företagen om CSR och inte hållbarhet. Det är när företagen tänker på filantropiska aktiviteter. / Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability in the financial sector has in recent years become a highly discussed issue. In this study I have investigated the sustainability-related challenges facing the future of the Swedish financial market. By looking at the financial actors Swedbank, Folksam and Söderberg &amp; Partners operations as well as talking with their respective sustainability managers, several challenges have been identified. One of them is being able to handle the risks that are involved in a shift from a non-sustainable business into a sustainable business. Another challenge is to understand the effect that one's actions lead to in the long run. A review of the EU Commission's report and action plan on the important role of the financial sector in meeting climate targets by 2030 has also revealed more challenges and opportunities for the financial market to develop its operations.The study also shows that the word CSR is not used in the financial sector anymore. They are using the word sustainability. Only in one perspective, companies talk about CSR and not sustainability. This is when companies talk about their philanthropic activities.

Syfte: Företag i dagens samhälle befinner sig i en allt mer påträngande situation där de måste arbeta hållbart eller bedriva verksamhet på ett hållbart sätt, och detta har blivit centralt sedan flera år tillbaka. I och med att hållbarhet blir allt mer viktig och finansiella sektorn spelar en viktig roll för länders samhällsekonomier började forskningsvärlden undersöka sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och företagens finansiella prestationer. Mycket av den tidigare forskning har presenterat varierande och motstridiga resultat. Till följd av detta undersöker denna studie sambandet mellan finansiella sektorns finansiella prestationer och ESG-betyg. Studiens syfte är att undersöka samt analysera om det finns ett samband mellan företagets ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation inom den europeiska finanssektorn. Metod: Studien använder sig av en kvantitativ metod som tillämpar en deduktiv ansats. Den sekundärdata som använts har hämtats ifrån Refinitiv Eikon. Studiens urval består av 160 finansbolag som verkar i 23 olika länder inom den europeiska kontinenten, dessa företag har analyserats under en tidsperiod på 3 år. Studiens data har analyserats med hjälp av bivariat-, univariat- och multivariat analyser. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet pekade inte på något signifikant samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiella prestationer men inte heller mellan S-betyget samt G-betyget och finansiella prestationer. Resultatet visade ett signifikant samband mellan den enskilda dimensionen E-betyget och ROA. Utifrån legitimitet- och intressentteorins antaganden stärker företag som engagerar sig i just miljöfrågor sitt legitimitet och förtroende hos företagets intressenter och i samhället. Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie bidrar med en uppdaterad analys angående sambandet mellan hållbarhetsrapportering och finanssektorns finansiella prestationer. Studiens resultat bidrar med nyttig information för finanssektorns samtliga intressenter. Utifrån studiens resultat kan det konstateras att investerare, intressenter och bolag som engagerar sig i just miljöfrågor får en tydlig förklaring då studie fann ett signifikant samband mellan miljöaspekten och företagets finansiella prestationer, resterande resultat visar att europeiska finanssektorn är fortsatt till intresse för forskningsvärld. Förslag till framtida forskning: Ytterligare undersökningar bör göras gällande relationen mellan ESG-betyg och finanssektorns finansiella prestationer, ett  förslag till framtida forskning är att inkludera ytterligare variabler som står i förhållande till studerade ämnet. Detta kan göras genom att använda sig av olika databaser som publicerar företagens ESG-betyg, på så sätt kan antalet av både beroende och oberoende variabler få en ökning vilket ökar studiens trovärdighet. Nyckelord: ESG-betyg, E-betyg, S-betyg och G-betyg, hållbarhetsrapportering, ROA, ROE, finanssektorn, finansiell prestation / Aim: Companies in today's society find themselves in an increasingly pressing situation where they have to work sustainably or conduct business in a sustainable way. The financial sector plays an important role in countries economies, because of this, the relationship between ESG-ratings and companies financial performance has become a debated area of research. Much of the previous research has presented varying and conflicting results. Due to this, this study will focus on the relationship between financial performance and ESG ratings in the European countries in order to develop the current research. The purpose of the study is to investigate and analyze whether there is a relationship between the company's ESG-score and financial performance within the financial sector in the European countries.   Method: The study is based on a quantitative method that applies a deductive approach. The secondary data has been obtained from Refinitiv Eikon. The study's sample consists of 160 financial companies operating in 23 different countries in the EU, these companies have been analyzed over a period of 3 years. The study's data have been analyzed using bivariate-, univariate- and multivariate analysis in the statistical program SPSS.  Results and conclusion: The result did not indicate any significant correlation between ESG-score and financial performance, the result did not indicate any significant correlation between S-rating, G-rating and financial performance. The result showed a significant correlation between the individual dimension E-rating and ROA.  Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes an updated analysis regarding the relationship between sustainability reporting and the financial performance of the financial sector in the European countries. Based on on studys result, the study contribute useful information for all potential stakeholders and investors in the financial sector.  Suggestions for future research: Due to the study's limitations, it is suggested to use data from more than one database to include more variables that are in relation to the research area. Another suggestion is to investigate the correlation in more countries and sectors in the longer term. This can be done by using different databases that publish companys ESG ratings, in this way the number of both dependent and independent variables can increase, which increases the credibility of the study.  Keywords: ESG-score, E-score, S-score and G-score, sustainability reporting, ROA, ROE, financial sector, financial performance

Titel: Är det lönsamt att investera i hållbarhet?   Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi   Författare: Haben Ablelom Gebremeskel   Handledare: Jan Svanberg   Datum: 2024 – Mars   Syfte: Företag i dagens samhälle befinner sig i en allt mer påträngande situation där de måste arbeta hållbart eller bedriva verksamhet på ett hållbart sätt, och detta har blivit centralt sedan flera år tillbaka. I och med att hållbarhet blir allt mer viktig och finansiella sektorn spelar en viktig roll för länders samhällsekonomier började forskningsvärlden undersöka sambandet mellan ESG-betyg och företagens finansiella prestationer. Mycket av den tidigare forskning har presenterat varierande och motstridiga resultat. Till följd av detta undersöker denna studie sambandet mellan finansiella sektorns finansiella prestationer och ESG-betyg. Studiens syfte är att undersöka samt analysera om det finns ett samband mellan företagets ESG-betyg och finansiell prestation inom den europeiska finanssektorn.   Metod: Studien använder sig av en kvantitativ metod som tillämpar en deduktiv ansats. Den sekundärdata som använts har hämtats ifrån Refinitiv Eikon. Studiens urval består av 160 finansbolag som verkar i 23 olika länder inom den europeiska kontinenten, dessa företag har analyserats under en tidsperiod på 3 år. Studiens data har analyserats med hjälp av bivariat-, univariat- och multivariat analys.   Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet visade inte på något signifikant samband mellan ESG-betyg och finansiella prestationer, men inte heller mellan S-betyget samt G-betyget och finansiella prestationer. Resultatet visade ett signifikant positivt samband mellan den enskilda dimensionen E-betyget och ROA. Utifrån legitimitet- och intressentteorins antaganden stärker företag som engagerar sig i just miljöfrågor sitt legitimitet och förtroende hos företagets intressenter och i samhället.   Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie bidrar med en uppdaterad analys angående sambandet mellan hållbarhetsrapportering och finanssektorns finansiella prestationer. Studiens resultat bidrar med nyttig information för finanssektorns samtliga intressenter. Utifrån studiens resultat kan det konstateras att investerare, intressenter och bolag som engagerar sig i just miljöfrågor får en tydlig förklaring då studie fann ett signifikant samband mellan miljöaspekten och företagets finansiella prestationer, resterande resultat visar att europeiska finanssektorn är fortsatt till intresse för forskningsvärld.   Förslag till framtida forskning: Ytterligare undersökningar bör göras gällande relationen mellan ESG-betyg och finanssektorns finansiella prestationer, ett förslag till framtida forskning är att inkludera ytterligare variabler som står i förhållande till studerade ämnet. Detta kan göras genom att använda sig av olika databaser som publicerar företagens ESG-betyg, på så sätt kan antalet av både beroende och oberoende variabler få en ökning vilket ökar studiens trovärdighet.

De nos jours, la coopération entre les superviseurs financiers dans l’Union européenne constitue une nécessité apparente. En effet, l’harmonisation progressive des législations des Etats membres, la mise en place du passeport européen pour faciliter la libre circulation des acteurs au sein de l’Union, la compétence nationale fondée sur le principe du pays d’origine, ainsi que la reconnaissance mutuelle des agréments et des contrôles ont rendu nécessaire la coopération entre les superviseurs financiers des Etats membres. Cette nécessité constitue une conséquence logique de l’intégration financière. D'une part, l'existence de règles communes exige une approche cohérente dans leur mise en oeuvre à travers de l'Union européenne. D'autre part, la portée croissante d'activités transfrontalières, ensemble avec l’émergence de grands établissements financiers prestant des services dans plusieurs secteurs d’activité, exige la coopération étroite entre les superviseurs financiers. En effet, dans un contexte transfrontalier et intersectoriel, la coopération constitue le principal outil de surveillance des autorités de contrôle financier. Ce processus est en plein mutation depuis l’avènement de la crise financière. Ainsi, la coopération est renforcée et centralisée à l’échelle de l’Union depuis la mise en place des Autorités européennes de surveillance. En outre, la centralisation de la supervision dans le secteur bancaire au niveau européen ne supprime pas la nécessité de coopération, en particulier en raison de l’expertise des autorités nationales, de leur connaissance des marchés bancaires nationaux, régionaux et locaux, des ressources importantes dont elles disposent déjà et de considérations géographiques et linguistiques. / Nowadays, the cooperation among the financial supervisors in the European Union is a visible necessity. The progressive harmonisation of the legislations of the Member states, the establishment of the European passport in order to facilitate the free movement of actors within the Union, the national competence based on the principle of the country of origin, as well as the mutual recognition of the authorisation procedure and of the controls made necessary the cooperation among financial supervisors in Europe. This necessity is a logical consequence of the financial integration. First, the existence of common rules requires a coherent approach in their implementation thought the European Union. Second, the increasing number of cross-border activities, as well as the emergence of big financial institutions active in several business sectors requires a close relationship between financial supervisors. In a cross-border and intersectoral context the cooperation becomes the main tool of supervision of the financial authorities. This process is in height transformation since the advent of the financial crisis. The cooperation is strengthened and centralised on European level since the establishment of the European Supervisory Authorities. In addition, the centralisation of the supervision in the banking sector at European level does not eliminate the necessity of cooperation, due in particular to the expertise of national authorities, to their knowledge of national, regional and local banking markets, their significant existing resources and to locational and language considerations.

M.Comm. / The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the progress that has been made in the provision of housing finance to low-income earners. In 1994, housing affordability was constrained, as around 86% of households earned below R3 500. The focus, therefore, is on the role played by both government and the four major banks in broadening access to housing finance for these households and also those who earn less than R7 500. Frameworks that brought about certain initiatives aimed at addressing this problem are explored. On the side of government, the housing subsidy scheme and the role played by the government housing finance institutions (i.e. the National Housing Finance Corporation and the Rural Housing Loan Fund) are explored. On the banking sector side, the provisioning of housing finance prior to and after the implementation of the Financial Sector Charter (FSC) in 2004 is investigated. The dissertation concludes by looking the challenges that exist in the low-cost housing finance environment. The paper notes that, although some considerable progress has been made in the broadening of access to housing finance, there is a huge gap between the number of subsidies approved and the number of households that have benefited from the government subsidy scheme, possibly resulting from, among other things, capacity constraints at local government level. In respect of the banking sector, data analysed shows that bank involvement in the low-income market was very minimal before the implementation of the FSC. However, as much as some progress has been made, there are some serious challenges in this market that could have possibly prevented the role players from extending this access to the rest of the target group.