Ethnicity and bank lending before and during COVID-19
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 13 July 2021
Issue publication date: 31 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Using ethnicity as our point of focus, the authors consider the dynamics of the demand for bank loans, and the willingness of banks to supply them, as the UK economy entered the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 with a particular focus on potential behavioural differences on the demand-side and discrimination on the supply-side. In doing so we directly address crisis induced financial concerns and how they played out in the context of ethnicity.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the most recent ten quarterly waves of the UK SME Finance Monitor survey the authors consider whether ethnicity of the business owner impacts on the decision to apply for bank loans in the first instance. The authors then question whether ethnicity influences the banks decision to meet or reject the request for a bank loan.
Findings
The authors’ pre-COVID-19 results show that there were no ethnic differences in loan application and success rates. During COVID-19, both white and ethnic business loan application rates rose significantly, but the scale of this increase was greater for ethnic businesses. The presence of government 100% guaranteed lending also increased general loan success rates, but again the scale of this improvement was greater for ethnic businesses.
Research limitations/implications
The authors show very clearly that differences in the willingness of banks to supply loans to SMEs relate very explicitly to firm specific characteristics and ethnicity either plays no additional role or actually leads to improved loan outcomes. The data is for the UK and for a very unique COVID time which may mean that wider generalisability is unwise.
Practical implications
Ethnic business owners should not worry about lending discrimination or be discouraged from applying for loans.
Social implications
The authors identify at worst no lending discrimination and at best positive ethnic discrimination.
Originality/value
This is one of the largest COVID-19 period studies into the financing of ethnic businesses.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “The effect of COVID-19 on the performance of ethnic-minority firms in the UK and worldwide”, guest edited by George Saridakis, Bochra Idris and Paul Jones.
Citation
Cowling, M., Liu, W. and Conway, E. (2023), "Ethnicity and bank lending before and during COVID-19", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 614-642. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-02-2021-0157
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited