Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya

Using household surveys and bank penetration data at the district-level in 2006 and 2009, this paper examines the impact of Equity Bank -- a leading private commercial bank focusing on microfinance -- on access to banking in Kenya. Unlike other com...

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Main Authors: Allen, Franklin, Carletti, Elena, Cull, Robert, Qian, Jun, Senbet, Lemma, Valenzuela, Patricio
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2013
Subjects:
ID
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18207020/improving-access-banking-evidence-kenya
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16044
id okr-10986-16044
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-160442021-04-23T14:03:27Z Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya Allen, Franklin Carletti, Elena Cull, Robert Qian, Jun Senbet, Lemma Valenzuela, Patricio ACCESS TO BANK ACCESS TO BANK ACCOUNTS ACCESS TO BANKING ACCESS TO BANKING SERVICES ACCESS TO CREDIT ACCESS TO FINANCE ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES ACCOUNT OWNERS ACCOUNT USAGE ADVANCED ECONOMIES ASSET OWNERSHIP ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION BANK ACCOUNT BANK ACCOUNTS BANK BRANCH BANK BRANCHES BANK COMPETITION BANK CREDIT BANK FAILURE BANK LOAN BANK LOANS BANK SERVICES BANKING CORPORATION BANKING NETWORK BANKING SECTOR BANKING SECTOR DEVELOPMENT BANKING SECTOR OUTREACH BANKING SECTOR STABILITY BANKING SERVICE BANKING SERVICES BANKING SYSTEM BIASES BRANCH LICENSING BRANCH NETWORKS CHECKS CO-OPERATIVE CO-OPERATIVE BANK COMMERCIAL BANK COMMERCIAL BANKS COMMUNITY BANK CONFIDENCE CONSUMER GOODS CORPORATION COUNTRY COMPARISONS CREDIT ACCESS CREDIT BANK CREDIT GROUPS CREDIT SCORING DEPOSIT DEPOSIT INSURANCE DEPOSITS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT BANK DOMESTIC BANK DOMESTIC BANKS DUMMY VARIABLE DUMMY VARIABLES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC SUCCESSES EDUCATION LEVEL ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK FAMILIES FINANCIAL ACCESS FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL OUTREACH FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE FINANCIAL SECTOR REFORMS FINANCIAL SERVICES FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FINANCIAL STUDIES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOREIGN BANK FOREIGN BANKS FORMAL FINANCE GENDER GOVERNMENT BANKS GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP GREATER ACCESS GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES HOMEOWNER HOUSEHOLD ACCESS HOUSEHOLDS HUMAN CAPITAL ID INCOME INEQUALITY INCOME LEVELS INDEBTEDNESS INDIVIDUALS INEQUALITY INFORMAL SAVINGS INSTRUMENT INTERNATIONAL BANK INVESTIGATION LENDERS LIMITED LOAN LOAN PORTFOLIO LTD. MFIS MICROCREDIT MICROFINANCE MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS MINIMUM BALANCE MOBILE PHONE MONEY TRANSFER MORTGAGES OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES PHYSICAL ASSETS POOR BORROWERS POSITIVE COEFFICIENT POSITIVE COEFFICIENTS PREDOMINANT LANGUAGE PRIVATE BANK PRIVATE BANKS PRIVATE CREDIT PROVISION OF CREDIT REMITTANCE REMITTANCES REPAYMENT RURAL BANKS SAVINGS SAVINGS MECHANISMS SAVINGS SERVICES SHAREHOLDERS SMALL BUSINESSES SOCIAL BANKING START-UP STOCK EXCHANGE TRANSITION ECONOMIES TRIALS UNIVERSAL BANK URBAN AREAS URBANIZATION Equity Bank bank penetration Using household surveys and bank penetration data at the district-level in 2006 and 2009, this paper examines the impact of Equity Bank -- a leading private commercial bank focusing on microfinance -- on access to banking in Kenya. Unlike other commercial banks in Kenya, Equity Bank pursues distinct branching strategies that target underserved areas and less-privileged households. Equity Bank presence has a positive and significant impact on households' use of bank accounts and bank credit, especially for Kenyans with low income, no salaried job, and less education and those who do not own their own home. The findings are robust to using the district-level proportion of people speaking a minority language as an instrument for Equity Bank presence. It appears that Equity Bank's business model -- providing financial services to population segments typically ignored by traditional commercial banks and generating sustainable profits in the process -- can be a solution to the financial access problem that has hindered the development of inclusive financial sectors in many African countries. 2013-10-02T21:49:23Z 2013-10-02T21:49:23Z 2013-09 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18207020/improving-access-banking-evidence-kenya http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16044 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6593 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa Kenya
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic ACCESS TO BANK
ACCESS TO BANK ACCOUNTS
ACCESS TO BANKING
ACCESS TO BANKING SERVICES
ACCESS TO CREDIT
ACCESS TO FINANCE
ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES
ACCOUNT OWNERS
ACCOUNT USAGE
ADVANCED ECONOMIES
ASSET OWNERSHIP
ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION
BANK ACCOUNT
BANK ACCOUNTS
BANK BRANCH
BANK BRANCHES
BANK COMPETITION
BANK CREDIT
BANK FAILURE
BANK LOAN
BANK LOANS
BANK SERVICES
BANKING CORPORATION
BANKING NETWORK
BANKING SECTOR
BANKING SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
BANKING SECTOR OUTREACH
BANKING SECTOR STABILITY
BANKING SERVICE
BANKING SERVICES
BANKING SYSTEM
BIASES
BRANCH LICENSING
BRANCH NETWORKS
CHECKS
CO-OPERATIVE
CO-OPERATIVE BANK
COMMERCIAL BANK
COMMERCIAL BANKS
COMMUNITY BANK
CONFIDENCE
CONSUMER GOODS
CORPORATION
COUNTRY COMPARISONS
CREDIT ACCESS
CREDIT BANK
CREDIT GROUPS
CREDIT SCORING
DEPOSIT
DEPOSIT INSURANCE
DEPOSITS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT BANK
DOMESTIC BANK
DOMESTIC BANKS
DUMMY VARIABLE
DUMMY VARIABLES
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC SUCCESSES
EDUCATION LEVEL
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES
EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK
FAMILIES
FINANCIAL ACCESS
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
FINANCIAL OUTREACH
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
FINANCIAL SECTOR REFORMS
FINANCIAL SERVICES
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FINANCIAL STUDIES
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FOREIGN BANK
FOREIGN BANKS
FORMAL FINANCE
GENDER
GOVERNMENT BANKS
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
GREATER ACCESS
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
HOMEOWNER
HOUSEHOLD ACCESS
HOUSEHOLDS
HUMAN CAPITAL
ID
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVELS
INDEBTEDNESS
INDIVIDUALS
INEQUALITY
INFORMAL SAVINGS
INSTRUMENT
INTERNATIONAL BANK
INVESTIGATION
LENDERS
LIMITED
LOAN
LOAN PORTFOLIO
LTD.
MFIS
MICROCREDIT
MICROFINANCE
MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS
MINIMUM BALANCE
MOBILE PHONE
MONEY TRANSFER
MORTGAGES
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES
PHYSICAL ASSETS
POOR BORROWERS
POSITIVE COEFFICIENT
POSITIVE COEFFICIENTS
PREDOMINANT LANGUAGE
PRIVATE BANK
PRIVATE BANKS
PRIVATE CREDIT
PROVISION OF CREDIT
REMITTANCE
REMITTANCES
REPAYMENT
RURAL BANKS
SAVINGS
SAVINGS MECHANISMS
SAVINGS SERVICES
SHAREHOLDERS
SMALL BUSINESSES
SOCIAL BANKING
START-UP
STOCK EXCHANGE
TRANSITION ECONOMIES
TRIALS
UNIVERSAL BANK
URBAN AREAS
URBANIZATION
Equity Bank
bank penetration
spellingShingle ACCESS TO BANK
ACCESS TO BANK ACCOUNTS
ACCESS TO BANKING
ACCESS TO BANKING SERVICES
ACCESS TO CREDIT
ACCESS TO FINANCE
ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES
ACCOUNT OWNERS
ACCOUNT USAGE
ADVANCED ECONOMIES
ASSET OWNERSHIP
ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION
BANK ACCOUNT
BANK ACCOUNTS
BANK BRANCH
BANK BRANCHES
BANK COMPETITION
BANK CREDIT
BANK FAILURE
BANK LOAN
BANK LOANS
BANK SERVICES
BANKING CORPORATION
BANKING NETWORK
BANKING SECTOR
BANKING SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
BANKING SECTOR OUTREACH
BANKING SECTOR STABILITY
BANKING SERVICE
BANKING SERVICES
BANKING SYSTEM
BIASES
BRANCH LICENSING
BRANCH NETWORKS
CHECKS
CO-OPERATIVE
CO-OPERATIVE BANK
COMMERCIAL BANK
COMMERCIAL BANKS
COMMUNITY BANK
CONFIDENCE
CONSUMER GOODS
CORPORATION
COUNTRY COMPARISONS
CREDIT ACCESS
CREDIT BANK
CREDIT GROUPS
CREDIT SCORING
DEPOSIT
DEPOSIT INSURANCE
DEPOSITS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT BANK
DOMESTIC BANK
DOMESTIC BANKS
DUMMY VARIABLE
DUMMY VARIABLES
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ECONOMIC SUCCESSES
EDUCATION LEVEL
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES
EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK
FAMILIES
FINANCIAL ACCESS
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
FINANCIAL OUTREACH
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
FINANCIAL SECTOR REFORMS
FINANCIAL SERVICES
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FINANCIAL STUDIES
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FOREIGN BANK
FOREIGN BANKS
FORMAL FINANCE
GENDER
GOVERNMENT BANKS
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
GREATER ACCESS
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
HOMEOWNER
HOUSEHOLD ACCESS
HOUSEHOLDS
HUMAN CAPITAL
ID
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVELS
INDEBTEDNESS
INDIVIDUALS
INEQUALITY
INFORMAL SAVINGS
INSTRUMENT
INTERNATIONAL BANK
INVESTIGATION
LENDERS
LIMITED
LOAN
LOAN PORTFOLIO
LTD.
MFIS
MICROCREDIT
MICROFINANCE
MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS
MINIMUM BALANCE
MOBILE PHONE
MONEY TRANSFER
MORTGAGES
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES
PHYSICAL ASSETS
POOR BORROWERS
POSITIVE COEFFICIENT
POSITIVE COEFFICIENTS
PREDOMINANT LANGUAGE
PRIVATE BANK
PRIVATE BANKS
PRIVATE CREDIT
PROVISION OF CREDIT
REMITTANCE
REMITTANCES
REPAYMENT
RURAL BANKS
SAVINGS
SAVINGS MECHANISMS
SAVINGS SERVICES
SHAREHOLDERS
SMALL BUSINESSES
SOCIAL BANKING
START-UP
STOCK EXCHANGE
TRANSITION ECONOMIES
TRIALS
UNIVERSAL BANK
URBAN AREAS
URBANIZATION
Equity Bank
bank penetration
Allen, Franklin
Carletti, Elena
Cull, Robert
Qian, Jun
Senbet, Lemma
Valenzuela, Patricio
Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya
geographic_facet Africa
Kenya
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6593
description Using household surveys and bank penetration data at the district-level in 2006 and 2009, this paper examines the impact of Equity Bank -- a leading private commercial bank focusing on microfinance -- on access to banking in Kenya. Unlike other commercial banks in Kenya, Equity Bank pursues distinct branching strategies that target underserved areas and less-privileged households. Equity Bank presence has a positive and significant impact on households' use of bank accounts and bank credit, especially for Kenyans with low income, no salaried job, and less education and those who do not own their own home. The findings are robust to using the district-level proportion of people speaking a minority language as an instrument for Equity Bank presence. It appears that Equity Bank's business model -- providing financial services to population segments typically ignored by traditional commercial banks and generating sustainable profits in the process -- can be a solution to the financial access problem that has hindered the development of inclusive financial sectors in many African countries.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Allen, Franklin
Carletti, Elena
Cull, Robert
Qian, Jun
Senbet, Lemma
Valenzuela, Patricio
author_facet Allen, Franklin
Carletti, Elena
Cull, Robert
Qian, Jun
Senbet, Lemma
Valenzuela, Patricio
author_sort Allen, Franklin
title Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya
title_short Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya
title_full Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya
title_fullStr Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Improving Access to Banking : Evidence from Kenya
title_sort improving access to banking : evidence from kenya
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2013
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18207020/improving-access-banking-evidence-kenya
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16044
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