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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Foreign currency borrowing by small firms in the transition economies
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Martin Brown
  • Steven Ongena
  • Pinar Yeşin
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title Journal of Financial Intermediation
Publisher Elsevier
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 1042-9573
Volume 20
Number 3
Page Range 285 - 302
Date 2011
Abstract Text We examine the firm- and country-level determinants of foreign currency borrowing by small firms, using information on the most recent loan extended to 3101 firms in 25 transition countries between 2002 and 2005. Our results suggest that foreign currency borrowing is much stronger related to firm-level foreign currency revenues than it is to country-level interest rate differentials. Supporting the conclusion that carry-trade behavior is not the key driver of foreign currency borrowing in our sample we find no evidence that firm-level indicators of distress costs or financial transparency affect loan currency denomination. Overall, our findings suggest that retail clients which do take foreign currency loans are better equipped to bear the corresponding currency risks than is commonly thought. Policy makers should therefore take a closer look at the characteristics of borrowers before implementing regulations which are aimed at curbing foreign currency loans.
Free access at Official URL
Official URL http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1042957310000513
Digital Object Identifier 10.1016/j.jfi.2010.12.001
Other Identification Number merlin-id:11779
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