Determinants of Microfinance Repayment Performance: Evidence from Small Medium Enterprises in Malaysia

Abstract

Microfinance was introduced in Malaysia to provide financing services to the poor and Small Medium Enterprises (SME) to start up business. The borrower may use the facility to finance business activities such as to purchase assets and additional capital to expand their business. Microfinance helps SME that have limited access to get loan from financial institutions. Financial institutions specifically commercial bank refuse to provide microfinance facilities to SME due to the high default rate among the majority of borrowers who obtain loan without collateral. In addition, the percentage of non-performing loan (NPL) of microfinance in Malaysia has been increasing. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze the determinants of SMEs loan repayment performance in Malaysia. Results showed that there are four variables with significant relationship towards loan repayment namely educational level, business experience, amount of loan and loan tenure.