Explore the vast range of titles available.

\"The official banking institutions for rural China are Rural Credit Cooperatives (RCCs). Although these co-ops are mandated to support agricultural development among farm households, since 1980 half of RCC loans have gone to small and medium-sized industrial enterprises located in, and managed by, townships and villages. These township and village enterprises have experienced highly uneven levels of success, and by the end of the 1990s, half of all RCC loans were in or close to default, forcing China's central bank to bail out RCCs. In Prosper or Perish, Lynette H. Ong examines the bias in RCC lending patterns, focusing on why the mobilization of rural savings has contributed to successful industrial development in some locales but not in others\"--Publisher's Web site.

Finance is an extraordinarily effective tool in spreading economic opportunity and fighting poverty. India has a relatively deep financial system and wide network of rural banks. But India?s financial markets and institutions have not served poor people well; despite improvements in the delivery of financial services over the past three decades, the vast majority of India?s poor households, who are concentrated in rural areas, do not have access to formal finance. Improving Access to Finance for India's Rural Poor examines the current level and pattern of access to finance for India?s rural households, evaluates various approaches for delivering financial services to the rural poor, analyzes what lies behind the lack of adequate financial access for the rural poor, and identifies what it would take to improve access to finance for India?s rural poor. Based on the analysis of a large-scale rural household survey, in combination with an evaluation of the role of financial markets and institutions, this title also examines different forms of financial service provision, including formal, informal and microfinance, raises questions about approaches used so far to address financial exclusion, and makes recommendations for policy advisors and financial service providers on how to scale-up access to finance for India?s rural poor, to meet their diverse financial needs (savings, credit, insurance against unexpected events, etc.), in a commercially sustainable manner. Its conclusions will be of interest to anyone involved in economic policy, finance or microfinance, poverty analysis, and poverty reduction.

Purpose – This study examines the relationship between bank risk and stability in the case of the Islamic Rural Bank (IRB) of Indonesia.Methodology – This study analyzes 154 Islamic Rural Banks (IRBs) from 2015 to 2023 using quarterly data. It employs a static panel data regression with unbalanced data. The final regression model was selected using the F-test, LM test, and Hausman test to compare the common, fixed, and random effect methods.Findings – Liquidity and financing risks have a negative relationship with IRB stability. The negative impact of financing risk on IRB stability decreased during Covid-19. The negative effects of liquidity risk on IRBs' stability of IRBs increased for IRBs on Java. In contrast, the negative impact of financing risk on stability decreased for IRB located in and outside Java.Implications – First, IRB must effectively manage their liquidity risk to maintain bank stability. Second, IRBs must reduce non-performing financing (NPF) to encourage bank stability. Third, banks’ operational and capital efficiencies must be improved.Originality – This study aims to fill the existing research gap by analyzing the effect of liquidity and financing risks on the stability of the Islamic Rural Bank as a small Islamic bank. Furthermore, this study includes the Covid-19 variable as a moderating variable that affects the effect of liquidity and financing risks on IRB stability.

Purpose The Islamic rural banks have the potential to grow in Indonesia. It is important to learn and study the consumer behaviors toward the Islamic rural banks’ services to plan for future strategies. The purpose of this paper is to test the applicability of the theory of reasoned action in predicting the customers’ decision to use the Islamic rural banks’ services. Design/methodology/approach The descriptive and structural equation model analyses were used to analyze the data. A random sampling technique is adopted with a sample size of 180 consumers of the Islamic rural banks. There are variables to be tested such as Sharia system compliance, product knowledge on Sharia, promotion, services, attitude, subjective norms, intention and customer decisions to use the Islamic rural banks’ services. Findings The results found that the Sharia system compliance, promotion, services, attitude, subjective norms and intention variables have a significant effect on the use of services at Islamic rural banks. Only product knowledge on Sharia variable has been found to be insignificant. Originality/value The model can be used to prepare better strategies to attract more customers as well as increase public awareness toward Islamic rural banks’ products and services. The results are useful as a benchmark for policymakers to improve the establishment of Islamic rural banks particularly in Indonesia.

Since the mid-1990s, Bangladesh's banking sector has grown considerably. Despite the boom and the government's efforts to increase access in rural areas, rural financial markets have shrunk in relative terms. As a result, access to finance by micro, small, and medium-size enterprises and marginal, small, and medium-size farmers - the \"missing middle\" - remains limited, which is significant because these groups are the engines of growth in rural Bangladesh in terms of employment, contribution to GDP, and prospects for future growth.

This research was inspired by the rules of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Indonesia regarding the necessity for good corporate governance for rural banks (RB). So far, good corporate governance regulations have only been binding on commercial banks, but with the development and expansion of services and increased business volume of rural banks, the risk of rural banks has also increased, so this has encouraged the need for good corporate governance in rural banks. To achieve the application of good corporate governance, the quality of a management accounting information system (MAIS) is needed which is supported by the effectiveness of internal controls and manager’s competency. The method used is the explanatory survey method. The sample technique uses random sampling from the target population of the study—as many as 54 rural banks in the North Sumatra Province of Indonesia with a total sample of 45 rural banks. Respondents who are targeted are parties related to management accounting information systems, namely the board of directors or operational managers. Data obtained directly through research questionnaires were processed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) applications. This study found that the competencies of managers affect the quality of MAIS in rural banks, while the effectiveness of internal controls has no effect. This study also found that manager’s competency and the effectiveness of internal controls had an effect on the application of the principles of good corporate governance in rural banks if mediated by the quality of MAIS.

This study investigates the key risk factors influencing the sustainability of rural banks in Indonesia following the COVID-19 pandemic. It develops a predictive model of rural bank sustainability using logistic regression analysis. The analysis identifies seven statistically significant financial indicators, and among the three models proposed, Model 3 demonstrates the highest predictive accuracy, both in-sample and out-of-sample. Robustness tests confirm the reliability of this model. The findings highlight the importance for rural banks to improve their financial management, particularly in liquidity, credit expansion, and operational efficiency, to achieve long-term sustainability in a post-crisis economic landscape.

Objective: This research aims to examine the microprudential aspects beyond traditional rule of thumb measures in the regulation of Rural Banks in Indonesia, particularly focusing on the implications of recent regulatory changes that have prompted Rural Bank mergers.   Theoretical Framework: This research utilizes a framework that incorporates financial ratios as critical indicators of bank performance and health. It considers the influence of regulatory frameworks—especially those outlined in POJK regulations—on the operational effectiveness and stability of Rural Banks.  Related to the forced corporate action, reason that administrative reform may not have increased merger activity as expected is that larger, combined activities are likely to be more readily able to absorb the significant costs of complying with administrative reform than smaller Rural Bank.   Method: This research methodology used is a qualitative descriptive method. In conducting this study, researchers used primary data and secondary data. Primary data obtained from the results practitioners' perspective of interviews (in-depth interviews) with experts and practitioners, who have an understanding of the issues discussed in Rural Bank Industry so that we can presumably determine the real current situation using a Qualitative Descriptive method with a Phenomenology study approach. While secondary data was complemented by data collected from literature studies, from the Financial Service Authority (OJK) official website, Several Rural Bank Performance Report and Financial Report during 2019 - 2023, scientific articles, books, information from the mass media and other relevant sources of information.   Result and Discussion: This study highlights that reliance solely on the rule of thumb can be misleading in assessing bank health. It shows that a detailed analysis of various financial ratios—such as capital adequacy, asset quality, earnings, and liquidity—provides a more comprehensive understanding of a bank's performance and risks associated with mergers. The banking industry those had time to familiarize itself with the subject and to put legislation into concrete action. Other findings indicate that the enforcement of regulations aimed at increasing capital adequacy and reducing systemic risk has led to forced mergers among Rural Banks.   Research Implication: The study underscores the importance of integrating microprudential regulations into the operational frameworks of Rural Banks. It suggests that regulators should prioritize comprehensive assessments based on financial ratios rather than simplistic heuristic methods, especially in the context of forced mergers driven by regulatory pressures. Effective and appropriate use of the merger strategies forced by regulator (OJK) have not facilitated Rural Banks’ efforts exactly to earn above-average returns. However, even when pursued for value-creating reason, merger strategies are not problem-free. Reason for the use of merger strategies and potential problem with such strategies are suboptimum goals congruence because of management control problem – include lack of direction, motivational problem, and personal limitation (Merchant et al, 2017).   Recommendation: The research recommends that Rural Banks systematically evaluate their financial health using detailed financial ratios and adapt to the new regulatory landscape that encourages mergers. It also urges regulators to refine their guidelines to include these metrics as essential tools for ongoing performance assessment. Enhanced training for bank management on interpreting and applying these financial ratios can improve overall operational effectiveness, particularly in the context of mergers. Merger is not just about consolidating financial aspects, but also harmonizing the combination of tangible (Numbers on Balance Sheet) and intangible assets (Human capital aspect).

The digital transformation of banks has recently attracted significant interest from both academia and practice. However, despite the proliferation of relevant academic and non-academic literature, there is no validated scale to measure the level of digital transformation of rural banks (DTORB). This study attempts to fill this gap using a mixed-method approach. First, we used transcribed interviews with 45 rural banking experts and an extensive literature review to construct initial items for the DTORB scale. Then, the initial scale was quantitatively validated using questionnaire data collected from 685 Chinese rural bank managers. The results of the study provide a scale consisting of 18 items conceptualized into five factors: digital technology, digital products, digital strategy, digital inputs, and digital cooperation. The scale was validated by exploratory factor analysis and validation factor analysis. This research suggests three policy implications. First, government departments should formulate and improve policies to support the digital transformation of rural banks. Second, the government should emphasize the construction of digital ecology in rural areas. Third, government departments should actively promote the construction of public technology service platforms. This study provides a theoretical foundation for subsequent in-depth research on digital transformation in rural banks, as well as important insights for rural bank owners and managers. Plain language summary Based on the definition of the concept of digital transformation of rural banks, this study develops and validates the Digital Transformation of Rural Banks scale to understand how to effectively implement digital transformation in the operation of rural banks. This research used a mixed-methods approach in which interviews with rural bank managers and an extensive literature review helped researchers develop items for the constructs of the DTORB. The proposed scale was then empirically validated by collecting data from rural banks. Eighteen items were classified into five dimensions of the DTORB: digital technology, digital product, digital strategy, digital input, and digital collaboration. The results were supported by reliability, exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. This study provides a theoretical basis for research in the field of digital transformation of banks and can also help rural bank managers to better understand the practical implications of digital transformation of rural banks.