Profitability, indebtedness and liquidity analysis of microenterprises in Ecuador

Abstract

Microenterprises are an important factor in Ecuador’s economic development. This research analyzes and compares financial indicators such as financial profitability, indebtedness and current liquidity of microenterprises in the province of Guayas with those in other provinces of Ecuador. The analysis used a quantitative methodology of descriptive type of cross-sectional design for 13,768 microenterprises in the province of Guayas and 16,093 microenterprises in the rest of the provinces of Ecuador that reported their financial statements to the Superintendence of Companies, Securities and Insurance as of 2019. To compare these groups, a t-test was performed for independent samples with unequal variances. The results of this research indicate that, with a 95% confidence level, average indebtedness and average current liquidity are higher in the province of Guayas while microenterprises in the rest of Ecuador report better average financial profitability. Although Guayas province has the highest percentage of microenterprises in the country, this is not a sufficient condition to conclude that its financial indicators, on average, are better than those of the rest of Ecuador. This research aims to make a contribution to the development of lines of work that contribute to the elaboration and design of policies that help the survival and business performance of microenterprises.