Abstract

We explore the relationship between bank branch expansion, financial inclusion, and profitability for Equity Bank. Unlike traditional banks, including foreign and government owned banks in Kenya, Equity Bank targets less developed territories and less privileged households. Its presence increased financial inclusion by 31% of the adult population between 2006 and 2015, especially for Kenyans who were less educated, did not own their own home, and lived in less-developed areas. The bank’s business model proves to be highly effective, with branch-level profits rising in areas with a smaller number of operating banks. Overall, the growth of Equity Bank demonstrates that financial inclusion can be achieved and sustained through profitable branching and service strategies that also serve the needs of underserved regions and populations. Thus, financial inclusion need not come at the sacrifice of bank profitability.

中文翻译：

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改善银行服务渠道：来自肯尼亚的证据*

摘要

我们探讨了银行分支机构扩张，财务包容性和股票银行盈利能力之间的关系。与传统银行不同，包括肯尼亚的外资银行和政府拥有的银行，股票银行的目标客户是欠发达地区和特权家庭。在2006年至2015年期间，它的存在使金融普惠性提高了31％的成年人口，特别是对于那些受过较低教育，没有自己的住房并且生活在欠发达地区的肯尼亚人。事实证明，该银行的业务模式非常有效，在营业银行数量较少的地区，分支机构的利润有所增长。总体而言，股票银行的增长表明，可以通过有利的分支机构和服务策略来实现并维持金融包容性，这些策略也可以满足服务不足的地区和人口的需求。因此，