The Structure of the Microfinance Market and Its Adoption to the EU Accession: A Comparative Empirical Study for Western Balkans

Güngör Turan- Epoka University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Tirane-Rinas Street, Km. 12, 1039 Tirane, Albania

Abdurrahman Isik- Epoka University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Tirane-Rinas Street, Km. 12, 1039 Tirane, Albania

Iges Banda- Western Balkans Univeristy, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Finance, Tirane – Durres Highway, Km 7, 1001, Tirane, Albania

Abstract:  The objective of this paper is to examine the microfinance market structure and its adoption in the EU accession in Western Balkan Countries (WBCs). This objective is pursued by employing survey data from 31 MFIs operating in WBCs. The survey aims to assess MFI’s representatives’ views on competition policy, measure surveillance, identify influencing factors of firm performance, and recognize institutional challenges. The findings show the microfinance market remains transitional with various difficulties that need to be addressed. The study gives a contribution to the existing literature by filling the gaps in the microfinance market in WBCs and making a compara- tive analysis. Policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers can based on the paper’s findings, recommendations, and future research directions for further sustainable improvement of the microfinance market in the WBCs.

10th International Scientific Conference ERAZ 2024 – Conference Proceedings: KNOWLEDGE BASED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,  hybrid – online, virtually and in person, Lisbon, Portugal, June 6, 2024

ERAZ Conference Proceedings published by: Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans – Belgrade, Serbia

ERAZ conference partners: Faculty of Logistics, University of Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia); University of National and World Economy – UNWE, Sofia (Bulgaria); Center for Political Research and Documentation (KEPET), Research Laboratory of the Department of Political Science of University of Crete (Greece); Institute of Public Finance – Zagreb (Croatia); Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Ohrid, University of St. Kliment Ohridski from Bitola (North Macedonia)

ERAZ Conference 2024 Conference Proceedings: ISBN 978-86-80194-86-8, ISSN 2683-5568,

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/ERAZ.2024

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission. 

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