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Bank credit to SMEs in Japan: Evidence from normal times, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 crisis

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  • Tsuruta, Daisuke

Abstract

We investigate what types of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use bank loans during crisis periods, focusing on the global financial crisis (GFC) and the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Using comprehensive data on SMEs in Japan, we obtain the following results. First, during these two crisis periods, SMEs with low cash flow, high credit risk, and low sales growth borrowed more from banks. Second, these firms borrowed more during the COVID-19 crisis than during the GFC. Furthermore, the ex post profitability of these firms was lower during the COVID-19 crisis, which was special in that vulnerable firms borrowed more from banks. Third, the increases in probability of default were not large during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, but were economically significant in 2021. These results imply that massive financial support during the COVID-19 crisis delayed firm defaults.

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  • Tsuruta, Daisuke, 2024. "Bank credit to SMEs in Japan: Evidence from normal times, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 crisis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:87:y:2024:i:c:s0927538x2400252x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2024.102500
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Small business; SME; Bank loan; Global financial crisis; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation

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