This paper assesses the impact of information asymmetries on developing country financing and considers alternative techniques to reduce the adverse implications of such asymmetries. Following an introduction, Section II examines in general terms the role of information in financial markets and analyzes the incentive and risk sharing properties of alternative financial contracts. Information asymmetries which are present in domestic finance are more prevalent in international finance, in particular in developing country financing. Section III reviews measures aiming to resolve information asymmetries. Borrowing and creditor country regulations and policies, as well as innovative contractual agreements help to resolve a range of issues related to information asymmetries. However, despite their contribution, residual problems remain unresolved. The international financial institutions, and in particular the Fund, have an important role to play in alleviating information asymmetries.

This open access Pivot demonstrates how a variety of technologies act as innovation catalysts within the banking and financial services sector. Traditional banks and financial services are under increasing competition from global IT companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon and PayPal whilst facing pressure from investors to reduce costs, increase agility and improve customer retention. Technologies such as blockchain, cloud computing, mobile technologies, big data analytics and social media therefore have perhaps more potential in this industry and area of business than any other. This book defines a fintech ecosystem for the 21st century, providing a state-of-the art review of current literature, suggesting avenues for new research and offering perspectives from business, technology and industry.

The paper analyzes the effects of informational asymmetries on the market structure of the banking industry in a multi-period model of spatial competition. All lenders face uncertainty with regard to borrowers’ creditworthiness, but, in the process of lending, incumbent banks gather proprietary information about their clients, acquiring an advantage over potential entrants. These informational asymmetries are an important determinant of the industry structure and may represent a barrier to entry for new banks. The paper shows that, in contrast with traditional models of horizontal differentiation, the steady-state equilibrium is characterized by a finite number of banks even in the absence of fixed costs.

In this volume, specialists from traditionally separate areas in economics and finance investigate issues at the conjunction of their fields. They argue that financial decisions of the firm can affect real economic activity—and this is true for enough firms and consumers to have significant aggregate economic effects. They demonstrate that important differences—asymmetries—in access to information between "borrowers" and "lenders" ("insiders" and "outsiders") in financial transactions affect investment decisions of firms and the organization of financial markets. The original research emphasizes the role of information problems in explaining empirically important links between internal finance and investment, as well as their role in accounting for observed variations in mechanisms for corporate control.

"This book, titled SME Finance: Constraints and an Information Asymmetric Perspective, studies the gap between bank financing and the small and medium sized enterprises (SME) sector, based on the economic theories of information asymmetry and agency theory. Access to finance continues to remain one of the key constraints faced by SMEs to start and expand businesses, particularly in the developing economies where access to bank loans is subject to the availability of collateral. The SME financing gap, studied from the perspectives of both the key actors - banks and SMEs - is well presented in this book. The authors have used Sequential Explanatory Design, a mixed methodology, to collect data from SMEs and banks. The econometric model of the study represented SMEs' debt accessibility as a function of independent variables of loan repayment capacity, financial information, characteristics of the firm and owner and bank loan characteristics. The book provides empirical evidence that SME financing constraints are caused by factors arising from SMEs as well as the banks, primarily SMEs' high information opacity and banks' imposition of collateral to offset the credit risk. In the estimation of the econometric model, the size of collateral and owner's equity were among the most significant predictor variables. Likewise, the thematic analysis of interview data of credit officers to understand the banks' lending behavior evidenced a strong positive relationship between the size of the collateral and owner's equity and access to bank loans. SMEs' high information opacity and credit risk induced adverse selection and credit rationing on the part of finance providers. The findings of this book contribute towards academic literature on developing economies characterized by limited data available for academic and empirical research. This book provides a unique example of rigorous research on SME finance within an information economics framework. The theoretical issues are nicely balanced by the practical application of information economics to an emerging market. It can be used as a reference by researchers, academics, practitioners and policy makers in the areas of development finance, banking, development economics, microfinance and rural development. In addition, it can be used as an academic reference for a finance subject at the Master's or Doctoral level. The book is relevant to key stakeholders in understanding the debt inaccessibility from SMEs and the banks in drafting policies and measures to address the SME financing gap"--

Asymmetric information (the fact that borrowers have better information than their lenders) and its theoretical and practical evidence now forms part of the basic tool kit of every financial economist. It is a phenomenon that has major implications for a number of economic and financial issues ranging from both micro and macroeconomic level - corporate debt, investment and dividend policies, the depth and duration of business cycles, the rate of long term economic growth - to the origin of financial and international crises. Asymmetric Information in Financial Markets aims to explain this concept in an accessible way, without jargon and by reducing mathematical complexity. Using elementary algebra and statistics, graphs, and convincing real-world evidence, the author explores the foundations of the problems posed by asymmetries of information in a refreshingly accessible and intuitive way.

The Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated the tension between large development needs in infrastructure and scarce public resources. To alleviate this tension and promote a strong and job-rich recovery from the crisis, Africa needs to mobilize more financing from and to the private sector.