Financial sector development

About: Financial sector development is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1674 publications have been published within this topic receiving 90787 citations.

Rainfall, Financial Development, and Remittances: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract: We use annual variation in rainfall to examine the effects that exogenous, transitory income shocks have on remittances in a panel of 42 Sub-Saharan African countries during the period 1960-2007. Our main finding is that these income shocks have a significant positive effect on remittances, but that the effect is significantly decreasing in the share of domestic credit to GDP. So much so, that at high levels of credit to GDP transitory increases in income had a significant negative effect on remittances. Our findings are consistent with the view that remittances take advantage of unexploited domestic investment opportunities that can exist due to domestic credit market frictions. Our findings also support the view that when barriers to financial flows are low, remittances effectively provide insurance against transitory income shocks.

Are alternative currencies a substitute or a complement to fiat money? Evidence from cross-country data

Abstract: This paper studies the determinants of the usage of alternative currencies (currencies which exists parallel to the national currency of a country) across countries. We find that monetary stability, financial sector development and a country’s general level of economic development are all positively related to both the likelihood of a country hosting an alternative currency as well to the number of alternative currencies a country is hosting. This suggests that these currencies, in contrast to their historical function, mainly act as a complement to fiat money. We discuss the implications for the role of fiat money in the economy as well as for the welfare effects of alternative currencies.

The Effects on Innovation from Financial Sector Development: Evidence from Developing Countries

Abstract: The subject of financial system development is widely studied in the finance literature as an indicator of economic growth and a driver of technological innovation supporting the mobilization of capital for growth. However, varying results are obtained when examining developed countries compared to the emerging countries. Developing countries are characterized by a lower investment in innovation, and lower levels of competitiveness in terms of research and development funding, fewer research academic institutions, but also lower incentives for private innovation by enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial development indicators and innovation by analyzing data for 15 developing countries within the time frame of 1996-2016. The financial system is analyzed in two main pillars: credit institutions and equity markets. The number of innovation patent applications is the dependent variable of the study, i.e. as an indicator of a country’s innovative performance. The results of the study show that a higher level of crediting by the banking sector will positively affect the number of patent applications. Credit mobilization by other financial intermediaries in the financial system such as equity markets or non-banking institutions show a lower efficiency in boosting innovation activities, resulting in the opposite effects regarding the number of patent applications. Countries with a higher level of education will show more efforts toward innovation and the development of innovative practices. On the other hand, higher competitiveness among companies in terms of technology innovation and processes is expected to boost the demand for funds in the financial system, leading to the improvement in system development.