A Financial Inclusive Approach to Enhancing Credit in Saint Lucia
The performance of the financial sector in Saint Lucia has been impacted by weak credit growth despite
elevated deposit levels over the past decade. The paper seeks to evaluate credit dynamics in Saint Lucia
by empirically investigating the main determinants of credit (..)and the relationship of credit with
economic through the use of an ordinary least square regression model (1979 to 2019). The empirical
findings suggest that GDP, ROA, two (2) year lag of NPL and deposits influences credit in Saint Lucia
while credit impacts GDP and GDP impacts credit in the short run. Our findings also suggest that the
types of loans (personal-residential) granted in Saint Lucia, despite low risk to financial institutions,
has not had a significant impact on GDP. The paper uses country case examples to demonstrate
strategies used to enhance credit to make economies more financially inclusive. The development of
digital financial services, the establishment of a credit bureau, and the development of the
microfinance industry is therefore proposed for financial development. A financial inclusive approach
would allow for the services to reach the unbanked and significantly impact on economic growth in Saint Lucia |  |
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