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Access to Finance for MSMEs in Ecuador: A Firm-Level Impact Evaluation

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2025-05-15
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2025-05-15
Author(s)
Diaz Kalan, Federico
Fraccaroli, Nicolò
Ruiz Ortega, Claudia
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Abstract
This paper studies the impact of a World Bank program aimed at promoting access to finance for micro, small, and medium-size enterprises in Ecuador. A staggered difference-in-differences method is used to estimate the impact of the program on 2,035 participant firms during 2019–23. The findings show that the program had a positive effect on these firms, by boosting their financing, number of workers, short-term assets, and sales. This effect is similar when enterprises are female-led and is larger for firms that had no previous access to finance.
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Bruhn, Miriam; Diaz Kalan, Federico; Fraccaroli, Nicolò; Ruiz Ortega, Claudia. 2025. Access to Finance for MSMEs in Ecuador: A Firm-Level Impact Evaluation. Policy Research Working Paper; 11121. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43195 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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