TITLE:
Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions: A Case of Malawi Microfinance Institutions
AUTHORS:
Helex Kayembe, Yunjian Lin, George N. Chidimbah Munthali, Xuelian Wu, Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda, Mastano N. Woleson Dzimbiri, Colleen Mbughi
KEYWORDS:
Microfinance, Financial Sustainability, Credit Risks, Outreach
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Financial Risk Management,
Vol.10 No.2,
May
13,
2021
ABSTRACT: Background: Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) have been used as a tool for poverty alleviation in many developing economies globally, including Malawi. However, their sustainability in many countries has been dependent solely on loan repayment, donor aid, and subsidies. Aim: This study aimed at investigating the factors that influence the sustainability of MFIs in Malawi. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from November to December 2020 among the MFIs employees in the central region of Malawi. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used to collect data online using a google form sent via social media platforms. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software with Statistical significance placed at 0.05. Results: 120 respondents completed the survey representing 79.3% response rate, of which 63% were male. The majority of the respondents fell within the age group of 31 - 40 years, representing 58%, having attained universities and vocational colleges’ education level, representing 32.8%. With an experience of above 16 years, representing 41.2% of which were branch managers, representing 49.6%. The results of the ordinary least square regression indicated that reporting and loan management system (RLMS) (β = 0.200, P = 0.021), corporate-governance (β = 0.257, P = 0.004), and commercialization (β = 0.161, P = 0.047) were positively significantly influencing the sustainability of MFI. On the other hand, loan design/type (β = -0.211, P = 0.006), loan portfolio management (β = -0.179, P = 0.050) were found to be negatively impacting the MFI. Lastly, variables of over-indebtedness (B = 0.077, P = 0.426), loan disbursement (β = 0.121, P = 0.104) were found statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Our study argues that through commercialization, standardized reporting, and effective loan portfolio management systems, stakeholder-based approach to corporate governance, and favored board independence through scale and cost management is critical to improving MFIs financial sustainability.