Robust regulatory frameworks are important for developing healthy capital markets. Most current research ends that sustainable finance regulation serves as a backbone for the development of sustainable...
The events of August 2021 in Afghanistan triggered a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis. The abrupt collapse of the government disrupted the functioning of government institutions, and the sudden...
The authors study whether firms that had access to external sources of finance were in a better position to overcome demand shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data on around 20,000 firms in...
The political crisis in Afghanistan in August 2021 brought about rapid and momentous changes to the country’s social and economic situation. It disrupted the normal functioning of both governmental and...
The objective of the present SME Operational Guidance Note is to support World Bank Group task teams and client countries with the knowledge and tools required for the effective design and implementations...
This paper investigates the state of low investment in Afghanistan by studying how investment decisions interact with risks and uncertainty in the presence of underdeveloped financial markets. The analysis...
Using the universe of all externally issued bonds by corporates and sovereigns in emerging and developing economies during 2000-14, this paper analyzes various issuance trends, including the unprecedented...
Many firms in the developing world -- including a majority of micro, small, and medium enterprises -- operate in the informal economy. The informal firms face a variety of constraints, making it harder...
The little data book is a pocket edition of the global financial development database published as part of the work on the Global Financial Development Report 2014 : financial inclusion. The book has put...
This paper explores the empirical relationship between bank competition, bank concentration, and the emergence of credit reporting institutions. The authors find that countries with lower entry barriers...
This report contributes to the effort to improve Middle East and North Africa's (MENA's) growth and employment performance by providing a diagnostic of MENA's financial systems and proposing a roadmap...
Although both domestic and foreign private banks have gained ground in MENA in recent years, state banks continue to play an important role in many countries. Using a MENA bank-level panel dataset for...
Among the principal constraints for SME lending is the lack of SME transparency, poor credit information from credit registries and bureaus, and weak creditor rights. If constraints can be addressed, lending...
This edition of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional economic update concerns the region recovering from the financial crisis along with the global economy. Growth in 2010 is expected to be...
This edition of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional economic update concerns the region recovering from the financial crisis along with the global economy. Growth in 2010 is expected to be...
La région du Moyen-Orient et de l’Afrique du Nord (MENA) se remet de la crise financière en même temps que l’économie mondiale. On prévoit que la croissance atteigne 4,4 % en 2010, à l’échelle régionale...