This study examines the relationship between the financial performance and working capital management practices of South African retail firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The study sample comprised a panel of 16 South African retail firms for the period 2010–2019. A fixed-effects estimator was employed in the analysis. The working capital management was proxied by average age of inventory (AAI), average collection period (ACP), average payment period (APP), and cash conversion cycle (CCC), while the financial performance was proxied by net operating profit margin (NOPM), return on assets (ROA), and return on equity (ROE). The key findings of the study documented the following: (1) There is a negative relationship between average collection period and financial performance. (2) A negative relationship between average age of inventory and financial performance measures (NOPM and ROA) was found. (3) The average payment period was found to be negatively related to return on equity. (4) The cash conversion cycle and net operating profit margin variables were found to be negatively related. The study concludes that working capital management practices influenced the financial performance of the South African retail firms. It is recommended that South African retail firms observe prudent optimal working capital management practices, as these influence their financial performance.

The aim of this study was to ascertain what can be done by the informal finance sector to close the credit gap in order to improve access to finance by SMEs. SMEs are the backbone of many economies as a result of generating employment and improving GDP. Despite playing such a major role in African economies, SMEs have been excluded from the financial systems. The informal finance sector plays a vital role by providing finance to small businesses. The study employed a literature survey with a primary focus on empirical studies that have been conducted in the African context. The study found that, generally, there are two circumstances under which most small businesses depend on informal finance. Firstly, informal finance is used as a last resort by SMEs that fail to access credit from the formal finance sector, owing to, among other issues, information asymmetry, lack of collateral security and perceived high default rates. Further, low financial literacy and the absence of credit bureaus in developing countries also contribute to the failure to access finance from formal institutions. Secondly, some entrepreneurs opt for informal finance even if they are eligible for formal finance as a result of its flexibility, convenience and simple administrative procedures. Notwithstanding the above benefits of informal finance, informal lenders are regarded as exploiting the clients by charging high interest rates. In addition, this sector suffers from limited resources; hence, it fails to fully service SMEs that require larger funding and are not eligible for formal finance. Invariably, all the studies that have been carried out confirm that access to finance is a major obstacle to the growth and development of SMEs. The development and empowerment of SMEs cannot be ignored as an important driver of the developmental agenda of most economies globally. The main policy recommendations that flow from this study, based on the policy syndrome of improving access to finance (financial inclusion) by the SME sector, include (1) the establishment of a suitable regulatory framework which will nurture the informal finance sector while promoting consumer protection, and (2) linking the formal and informal sector. On the other hand, SMEs should improve their risk management practices and also embrace FinTech platforms in order to access credit.

The drivers of financial success of the insurance industry are of interest to several players in any economy including the government; policymakers; policyholders; and investors. In Kenya; there have been relatively few studies on this topic; most of which look at narrow elements that determine insurance companies’ performance. This article sought to explore the components contributing to the financial performance of insurance firms. We employed a sample consisting of 37 general insurers and 16 life insurers for the period running from 2009 to 2018 and utilised panel data methods in order to establish the determinants of financial performance of Kenyan insurers. The pooled OLS; fixed effects and random effects models were estimated with the financial performance measures (proxied by either ROA or ROE) as the dependent variables. The results of the study documented that insurer financial performance and size were positively related. The study also found that insurer financial performance was negatively related to the age variable. The study also unraveled that higher leveraged insurance companies performed better than their lowly geared peers. This article provides broad analyses of the various drivers of financial performance of the insurance industry in Kenya. The findings of this study contribute to the academic literature on the financial performance of the insurance sector in Kenya and Africa as a whole. Furthermore; it gives pointers to the management of insurance companies on the aspects of their business that would need greater attention to drive and sustain superior financial performance.

Money launderers prefer to use financial services as the ideal medium for laundering. This study aimed to provide an overview of the global AML/CFT regulations, application and how they should evolve in this dynamic environment. To gather more insight, a qualitative study was undertaken with relevant documents analysed. The main finding was that country implementation of the global AML/CFT regulations differed due to political and economic factors, amongst others. While the various AML/CFT enforcements done by sampled countries were mainly cease and desist orders and monetary penalties that were publicised, the drawbacks of global AML/CFT regulations centred on the application of these regulations and emerging trends. These include, among other definitions of money laundering, reference to the three stages of money laundering, the link between penalty and violations, technological innovations and regulation paradigm shift, cyber-attacks, and data privacy. This study contributes to the application and growing body of knowledge in that the advent of technology has resulted in better consumer experiences, new payment platforms, products and services. However, these innovations have broadened emerging money laundering risks and risks to the financial system in general. Hence, there is a need to conduct research-based FATF recommendations, as risk is dynamic and not static.

The life insurance industry has experienced phenomenal growth over the years. The broad aim of this study was to establish the variables that influence the demand for life insurance in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Although many studies have investigated the determinants of life insurance demand, little research has considered the supply-side factors such as financial regulation. Therefore, this study also contemplated the effect of the financial regulation variable on life insurance demand. The inquiry employed a panel of the BRICS bloc of countries as a unit of analysis for 1999–2020 and applied panel data econometric techniques. The study found that the life insurance demand variable (proxied by life insurance density and alternatively by life insurance penetration) was negatively affected by income, unemployment, interest rates and inflation variables. Furthermore, the study documented a positive relationship between life insurance demand and the economic growth and financial freedom variables. This study implies that regulatory authorities should deregulate the life insurance sector to foster financial freedom.

This paper investigates the impact of bank competition on access to credit by informal firms in 14 Sub Saharan African countries using World Bank enterprise survey data. Access to credit is one of the main factors identified as hindering the growth of these opaque borrowers with poor financial transparency. This study uses a binary choice probit model to estimate the probability or likelihood of accessing finance conditional on the level of bank competition and other firm-level characteristics. Results show that the impact of competition measured using the recent and empirically robust Boone indicator is negative and significant in line with the market power hypothesis. These results suggest that improving the competitiveness of the banking sector by encouraging entrance of more players and curbing anti-competitive conducts should be promoted without compromising the soundness of the sector. Reducing or minimizing information asymmetry using public credit registries is good for enhancing financial access and governments should invest resources on maintaining, updating and increasing the coverage of these registries.