Determinants of access to bank finance for small and medium-sized enterprises: The case of Sri Lanka

Abstract

This paper examines what determines access to bank finance in small and medium-sized enterprises in Sri Lanka. The empirical evidence for this study is drawn from the Sri Lanka Enterprise Survey data set obtained from the World Bank. The logistic regression is used to analyse the data. This study found that access to bank finance is largely determined by location of the firm, availability of audited financial statements and the owner-manager's perception ofaccess to finance. This paper can helppolicy makers make informed decisions to articulate policies, to develop training programmes, and to design support systems that can positively address the factors affecting access to bank finance forSMEs in Sri Lanka.