Does credit information sharing affect funding cost of banks? Evidence from African banks

This study takes advantage of the lack of empirical studies on the effect of credit information sharing and funding cost of banks and investigates credit information sharing and bank funding cost in Africa between 2006 and 2012. Employing a two‐step generalized method of moments regression of 233 banks in 17 African countries, the study provides new revelations. The study shows that the quality of credit information shared is key and persistent in reducing funding cost of banks. Again, the study confirms that the coverage of private credit bureaus significantly reduced bank funding cost whereas no such evidence was found for coverage of public credit registries. Further, although the study found evidence to support that the presence of credit information reduces bank funding cost, no evidence was found to support that countries that use both private credit bureaus and public credit registries are able to reduce funding cost of banks in Africa. From these results, it is evident that credit information sharing presence, coverage, and quality reduces funding cost in Africa. For policy recommendations, policymakers and bank boards must team up and set up credit information sharing institutions to help reduce information asymmetry and funding cost in countries that do not share credit information. Also, the introduction and establishment of credit information sharing must be geared towards private bureaus as they are more effective in reducing funding cost of banks. Again, policymakers must enact laws and policies that deepen the coverage, depth, and quality of credit information shared so that the financial sector of Africa countries can realize the full potential of credit information sharing.