Revista Ean · 2024
Towards Inclusive Financial Development: Exploring Key Factors for SME Credit Approval using ANN and SDG Alignment
Solo ficha. El repositorio marca este trabajo como «Acceso abierto»: el PDF no es público, así que aquí no hay texto para leer. Ver la ficha en el repositorio.
Resumen
This study focuses on the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim of identifying the key factors influencing the granting of credit to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and their alignment with sustainability principles. The article aims to provide financial institutions and SMEs with valuable information when making decisions related to loan applications and financial management in general. In addition, the importance of the proper implementation of financial indicators, the level of annual income, the guarantees offered, and economic solvency are highlighted as crucial factors for the approval of loans to SMEs. The goal of the article is to promote a more inclusive and sustainable financial environment, thereby boosting economic growth and productive development in Colombia and especially in small communities. For this purpose, 96 SMEs were interviewed, and an artificial neural network model was implemented to predict the rejection/acceptance of loans to an SME based on the values associated with the proposed independent variables. Regarding the results, the weights in the independent variables reflected that the credit approval of SMEs in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Osos depended on the management of the financial indicators (19%), the annual income (16.4%) and the availability of guarantees (16.2%) and economic solvency (16.1%). The results of this study have far-reaching implications for SMEs and the financial sector in general. Businesses need to address implementation of financial metrics, proper accounting, presence of lender guarantees, appropriate leverage, regulatory compliance, and credit history to increase their chances of getting a loan.