IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/worlde/v46y2023i4p1144-1160.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Bank‐intermediated trade finance and the intensive margin of African trade

Author

Listed:
  • Eugene Bempong Nyantakyi

Abstract

This paper presents evidence on the importance of bank‐intermediated trade finance for the intensive margin of African trade, using unique data from 43 African countries. It shows that African trade is underserved by banks. Banks intermediate about 40% of the region's trade – a far lower share than the global average of 80%. It finds that bank‐intermediated finance has a positive and significant effect on the intensive margin of African trade, even after accounting for the impact of domestic credit to the private sector. Estimates from standardised coefficients show that the impact of access to trade finance on trade volume for Africa is large and exceeds that of exchange rate volatility and trade logistics. These results suggest that policies aimed at promoting the region's trade should make access to bank‐intermediated finance a priority.

Suggested Citation

  • Eugene Bempong Nyantakyi, 2023. "Bank‐intermediated trade finance and the intensive margin of African trade," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 1144-1160, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:46:y:2023:i:4:p:1144-1160
    DOI: 10.1111/twec.13384
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/twec.13384
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/twec.13384?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jérôme Héricourt & Sandra Poncet, 2015. "Exchange Rate Volatility, Financial Constraints, and Trade: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Firms," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 29(3), pages 550-578.
    2. Kalina Manova, 2013. "Credit Constraints, Heterogeneous Firms, and International Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 80(2), pages 711-744.
    3. Silvio Contessi & Francesca De Nicola, 2012. "What do we know about the relationship between access to finance and international trade?," Working Papers 2012-054, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    4. David Kohn & Fernando Leibovici & Michal Szkup, 2016. "Financial Frictions And New Exporter Dynamics," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 57(2), pages 453-486, May.
    5. David Roodman, 2009. "How to do xtabond2: An introduction to difference and system GMM in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 9(1), pages 86-136, March.
    6. Manova, Kalina & Yu, Zhihong, 2016. "How firms export: Processing vs. ordinary trade with financial frictions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 120-137.
    7. Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen, 2004. "Why Some Firms Export," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(2), pages 561-569, May.
    8. Chaney, Thomas, 2016. "Liquidity constrained exporters," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 141-154.
    9. Andrea Caggese & Vicente Cunat, 2013. "Financing Constraints, Firm Dynamics, Export Decisions, and Aggregate Productivity," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 16(1), pages 177-193, January.
    10. Pol Antràs & C. Fritz Foley, 2015. "Poultry in Motion: A Study of International Trade Finance Practices," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 123(4), pages 853-901.
    11. Awudu Sare Yakubu & Anthony Q. Q. Aboagye & Lord Mensah & Godfred A. Bokpin, 2018. "Effect of financial development on international trade in Africa: Does measure of finance matter?," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(8), pages 917-936, November.
    12. Sercu, Piet & Vanhulle, Cynthia, 1992. "Exchange rate volatility, international trade, and the value of exporting firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 155-182, February.
    13. Francesca Bartoli & Giovanni Ferri & Pierluigi Murro & Zeno Rotondi, 2014. "Bank support and export: evidence from small Italian firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 245-264, February.
    14. Niepmann, Friederike & Schmidt-Eisenlohr, Tim, 2017. "International trade, risk and the role of banks," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 111-126.
    15. Tenreyro, Silvana, 2007. "On the trade impact of nominal exchange rate volatility," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 485-508, March.
    16. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    17. Julia Devlin & Peter Yee, 2005. "Trade Logistics in Developing Countries: The Case of the Middle East and North Africa," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 435-456, March.
    18. Augustin Kwasi Fosu & Abdul Fatawu Abass, 2019. "Domestic Credit and Export Diversification: Africa from a Global Perspective," Journal of African Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 160-179, April.
    19. David Kohn & Fernando Leibovici & Michal Szkup, 2016. "Financial Frictions And New Exporter Dynamics," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 57, pages 453-486, May.
    20. repec:hal:pseose:hal-01044989 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Chowdhury, Abdur R, 1993. "Does Exchange Rate Volatility Depress Trade Flows? Evidence from Error-Correction Models," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 75(4), pages 700-706, November.
    22. Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2013. "On the Role of Imports in Enhancing Manufacturing Exports," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1), pages 93-120, January.
    23. Malouche, Mariem, 2009. "Trade and trade finance developments in 14 developing countries post September 2008 - a World Bank survey," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5138, The World Bank.
    24. Thomas Chaney, 2016. "Liquidity Constrained Exporters," SciencePo Working papers hal-03389283, HAL.
    25. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/5g3sadr9h8gbri8hrtq0h6au2 is not listed on IDEAS
    26. Manova, Kalina, 2008. "Credit constraints, equity market liberalizations and international trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 33-47, September.
    27. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    28. Peter Egger & Michaela Kesina, 2013. "Financial Constraints and Exports: Evidence from Chinese Firms," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 59(4), pages 676-706, December.
    29. Iwanow, Tomasz & Kirkpatrick, Colin, 2009. "Trade Facilitation and Manufactured Exports: Is Africa Different?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 1039-1050, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muûls, Mirabelle, 2015. "Exporters, importers and credit constraints," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 333-343.
    2. Kohn, David & Leibovici, Fernando & Szkup, Michal, 2020. "Financial frictions and export dynamics in large devaluations," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    3. Minetti, Raoul & Murro, Pierluigi & Rowe, Nicholas, 2021. "When Does Finance Help Trade? Banking Structures and Export in the Macroeconomy," Working Papers 2021-3, Michigan State University, Department of Economics.
    4. David Kohn & Fernando Leibovici & Michal Szkup, 2016. "Financial Frictions And New Exporter Dynamics," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 57(2), pages 453-486, May.
    5. Bunje, Madinatou Yeh & Abendin, Simon & Wang, Yin, 2022. "The multidimensional effect of financial development on trade in Africa: The role of the digital economy," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(10).
    6. David Kohn & Fernando Leibovici & Michal Szkup, 2021. "Financial Frictions and International Trade," Working Papers 2021-009, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    7. David Kohn & Fernando Leibovici & Michal Szkup, 2023. "No Credit, No Gain: Trade Liberalization Dynamics, Production Inputs, And Financial Development," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(2), pages 809-836, May.
    8. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2019. "Financial Development and Tax Revenue in Developing Countries: Investigating the International Trade and Economic Growth Channels," EconStor Preprints 206628, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. C. Fritz Foley & Kalina Manova, 2015. "International Trade, Multinational Activity, and Corporate Finance," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 7(1), pages 119-146, August.
    10. Dai, Mi & Nucci, Francesco & Pozzolo, Alberto F. & Xu, Jianwei, 2021. "Access to finance and the exchange rate elasticity of exports," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    11. Federici, Daniela & Parisi, Valentino & Ferrante, Francesco, 2020. "Heterogeneous firms, corporate taxes and export behavior: A firm-level investigation for Italy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 98-112.
    12. Bernardina Algieri & Antonio Aquino & Lidia Mannarino, 2018. "Non-Price Competitiveness and Financial Drivers of Exports: Evidences from Italian Regions," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 4(1), pages 107-133, March.
    13. Kwan Yong Lee, 2023. "Financial dependence and exports: Entrants or incumbents?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 89(4), pages 1102-1137, April.
    14. Zeng, Shuai & Luo, Changyuan & Zhao, Laixun, 2023. "Destination trade credit and exports: Evidence from cross-country panel data," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    15. Niepmann, Friederike & Schmidt-Eisenlohr, Tim, 2017. "No guarantees, no trade: How banks affect export patterns," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 338-350.
    16. P. Beaumont, 2017. "Time is Money: Cash-Flow Risk and Export Market Behavior," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers g2017-10, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    17. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2022. "Financial development and tax revenue in developing countries: investigating the international trade channel," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 1-26, January.
    18. Christian Keuschnigg & Michael Kogler, 2022. "Trade and credit reallocation: How banks help shape comparative advantage," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 282-305, February.
    19. Giuliano Conti & Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2014. "Rethinking the import-productivity nexus for Italian manufacturing," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 589-617, November.
    20. Nguyen, Quyen T.K. & Almodóvar, Paloma & Wei, Ziyi, 2022. "Intra-firm and arm’s length export propensity and intensity of MNE foreign subsidiaries," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 288-308.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:46:y:2023:i:4:p:1144-1160. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0378-5920 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.