Abstract:
Despite the higher demand for credit among the rural poor, many commercial banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) are averse towards microfinancing activities in rural areas due to their high-cost implication compared to urban areas. Therefore, this study empirically investigates the effect of rural and urban financial inclusion on the cost sustainability of MFIs. To this end, a globally representative sample of 1729 MFIs' data covering the period 2008–2018 were analyzed. Contrary to the orthodox perception, our overall result revealed that lending in rural areas is more cost-efficient than in urban areas, even after considering various proxies and endogeneity issues.
