Palacín-Sánchez M.-J. and Di Pietro P. The role of the regional financial sector in the capital structure of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Regional Studies. This article examines the role that the financial sector plays in explaining differences in the capital structure of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across regions belonging to a single country. Specifically, it studies the effect of the development of the financial sector and of banking market concentration on leverage of firms. This research uses a sample of 8142 SMEs representing every Spanish region for the period 1999–2007, and applies the panel data methodology. The results suggest that the capital structure depends on the regional financial sector, in terms of both its level of development and its degree of competition.

Inadequate access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can present a major impediment to SMEs’ contribution towards driving sustainable economic growth. The aim of this article is to investigate the role of life cycle on SME financing decisions while focusing on trade credit. To this end, we study whether trade credit and its firm-factor determinants differ depending on the stage of life cycle of the SMEs. For the empirical analysis, a sample is employed of manufacturing SMEs operating in 12 European Union countries over the period 2008–2014 and a panel data model with fixed effects is applied. We find that the business life cycle influences trade credit and that this influence is stronger in young firms, although this relation is non-linear across the firms’ life cycle. We further show that the impact of firm-factor determinants on trade credit differs across the business life cycle in terms of magnitude levels. Our results demonstrate that the business life cycle matters when analysing trade credit, and it should therefore be considered when managers and policymakers strive to solve the financial problems of an SME and to consequently incorporate the SME into the sustainable economy.

Following an innovative approach, the effects of financial report quality on the use of trade credit in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are examined. This effect is considered in a direct and indirect way. Firstly, we analyze whether SMEs with low-quality information are more likely to use trade credit as a financial resource. Secondly, we investigate whether the relationship between trade credit and bank credit in SMEs is moderated by the quality of financial reports. For the empirical analysis, we use a sample of Spanish SMEs over the period 2004 to 2011, and apply a panel data model with fixed effects. The findings suggest that firms with low-quality financial reporting use more trade credit. Furthermore, the influence of bank credit on trade credit is found to be partially moderated by audit opinion.

ResumenEste trabajo estudia los efectos de la situación económica sobre el crédito comercial en las pequeñas y medianas empresas. Para lograr este objetivo, se analiza una muestra de pymes españolas durante los años 2004 a 2011, periodo que incluye una etapa de expansión y otra de recesión, utilizando la metodología de datos de panel. Los resultados muestran que el ciclo económico afecta de manera significativa al crédito comercial recibido y concedido, produciéndose un aumento en la etapa de bonanza económica y una contracción durante la crisis. Además, son las empresas más vulnerables financieramente las que durante la crisis, por un lado, tienen más dificultades para conseguir financiación vía crédito comercial, pero al mismo tiempo más incrementan su crédito a clientes. Por último, aquellas firmas con mayor capacidad de generar recursos conceden más crédito a sus clientes.AbstractThe objective of this work is to study the effects of the economic situation on trade credit received and granted, in small and medium-sized enterprises. To this end, using the panel data methodology, we analyse a sample of Spanish SMEs during the years 2004-2011: a period that includes two phases, one of expansion and another of recession. The results show that the economic cycle significantly affects trade credit received and granted, which both increase in the period of economic boom, and contract during a period of crisis. In addition, constrained firms receive less credit from suppliers during the crisis, while their accounts receivables increase. Finally, those firms with greater capacity to generate internal resources grant more credit to their customers