Structural Issues in the Kenyan Financial System

Book excerpt: Although by regional standards Kenya's financial system is relatively well developed and diversified, major structural impediments prevent it from reaching its full potential. Cross-country comparisons, however, show the importance of a well developed financial sector for long-term economic growth and poverty alleviation. Experience from other developing economies has shown the detrimental effect of government ownership and the positive impact that foreign bank ownership can have on the development of a market-based financial system. Analyzing and decomposing the high interest rate spreads and margins in Kenya helps identify structural impediments that drive the high cost of and low access to financial services. The limited information sharing on debtors, deficiencies in the legal and judicial system, the limited number of strong and reputable banks, and nontransparency and uncertainty in the banking market are major impediments to the development of Kenya's financial system, and to reducing spreads and widening access. This paper--a product of the Finance Team, Development Research Group--is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the determinants of financial sector development.