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The financial structure of Italian start-ups, in good and bad times

Author

Listed:
  • Emilia Bonaccorsi di Patti

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Valentina Nigro

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

We analyse the financing sources of over 360,000 Italian start-ups registered between 2003 and 2010. The data show that, before the Global Financial Crisis, 50 per cent of start-ups borrowed from banks when they were one year old, and that bank loans covered 16 per cent of total assets on average. In the post-crisis period we find that the frequency of borrowing by one-year-old start-ups declines by 5 percentage points, and the difference does not disappear as firms become older. We also document that the post-crisis decline in borrowing from banks is more marked than that observed for older firms, controlling for business characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Emilia Bonaccorsi di Patti & Valentina Nigro, 2018. "The financial structure of Italian start-ups, in good and bad times," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 449, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_449_18
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ana Venâncio & João Jorge, 2022. "The role of accelerator programmes on the capital structure of start-ups," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 1143-1167, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    start-ups; corporate finance; financial constraints;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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