The influence of banking relationship intensity on credit rationing for SMEs in Senegal

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the impact of the intensity of the banking relationship on the credit rationing of SMEs. In the literature, two types of approaches explain the bank financing relationship: the transactional approach and the relational approach. In our study, we favored the relational approach as a possibility of reducing the constraints linked to access to bank financing for SMEs. To respond to the theoretical hypotheses formulated in our study, we conducted econometric tests on a sample of 152 Senegalese SMEs. Our results show that the fact of working overtime with a particular bank allows the SME to have easier access to credit. Working with a small bank also gives the SME easier access to credit. However, multi-banking does not promote access to credit.

JEL Classification: G21; G32

Paper type: Empirical research