Microfinance performance in Malaysia

Abstract

A microcredit programme was introduced to Malaysia in 1987 as one of the poverty eradication strategies in the country. Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) was the first microfinance institution established followed by Yayasan Usaha Maju (YUM) and The Economic Fund for National Entrepreneurs Group (TEKUN). These three microfinance institutions are subsidised by the government. However, the effectiveness of the microfinance subsidised system implemented by Malaysia is not well documented. This research measures the effectiveness of Malaysia’s subsidised microcredit system by assessing the impacts of microcredit loans on the borrower’s microenterprise, household, and the borrower. In addition, this research examines the determinants of loan repayment problems among the TEKUN and YUM borrowers. The impact of microcredit loans on borrowers is measured based on the Household Economic Porfolio Model (HEPM). The logistic regression is employed to analyse the factors that influence borrowers with loan repaymnent problems. Both primary and secondary data are used in the analysis. Primary data are collected through a survey of borrowers using a structured questionnaire; secondary data are obtained from the three Malaysian microfinance institutions and Bank Nagari in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The results showed that micrcocredit loans have significantly increased the borrower’s microenterprise’s revenue, the household’s income and provided social (more involvement in business and family decisons and increased self-esteem) and economic security (increased personal savings, more optimistic in facing the future and increased effectiveness in coping with negative shocks). However, microcedit loans are not effective in building the borrower’s assets at either the microenterprise or household level. The logistic regression results showed that both TEKUN and YUM shared similar findings where borrowers involved in agricultural types of business activity encountered problems in repaying loans. However, both TEKUN and YUM results were different regarding borrowers’ ages’ contribution to loan repayment problems. Older borrowers in the age group 46 to 55 years old had significant loan repayment problems in TEKUN. In contrast, younger borrowers in the age group 18 to 25 years old had significant loan repayment problems in YUM. In addition, TEKUN borrowers who paid weekly loan repayments and YUM borrowers who paid more than RM201 a week loan repayments encountered problems in repaying their microcredit loans.