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Despite the effort to increase financial inclusion, women-owned Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) continue to face challenges in the uptake of financial services. Low financial uptake is strongly associated with business failure leading to low income and living standards among women entrepreneurs in marginalized areas. Market system strategies are crucial in determining businesses' level of financial uptake. The study investigated the effect of market system strategies on the financial uptake of women-owned MSMEs in the informal settlement of Nyeri County. Specifically, it investigated the effect of business readiness, financial literacy, investor relationships, and investment impact on financial uptake among women-owned MSMEs. The study variables were anchored on Ricky Griffin's model, Theory of Change, and Refinancing theory. The study used a descriptive research design, specifically a cross-sectional design. The target population was 890 women-owned MSMEs in the informal settlements of Nyeri county. Proportionate stratified and random sampling were used to obtain a sample of 275 businesses representing approximately 30% of the study population. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. A pilot test was conducted using ten individuals to test and improve the study questionnaire Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, where an alpha of 0.7 was the acceptable threshold. Regression analyses indicated that the market system strategies, business readiness, financial literacy, impact investment, and investor relationship positively and significantly affected financial uptake, with p-values lower than 0.05 alpha. The study found that businesses with better market system strategies have a higher financial uptake. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that policies and interventions aimed at improving financial uptake among women-owned MSMEs should focus on enhancing business readiness and financial literacy and building strong impact investment and investor relationships. The county government, NGOs, and others interested stakeholders should encourage women entrepreneurs in informal settlements of Nyeri county to seek training and support to develop their business skills and increase their understanding of financial uptake. Furthermore, the county and national governments should connect women-owned MSMEs with impact investors and establish relationships to provide funding, support, and mentorship. Finally, policymakers and stakeholders in the financial sector should consider creating an enabling environment that supports and incentivizes impact investment in MSMEs, especially those owned by women, to increase their financial uptake.

This paper aims to examine the effect of strategic leadership, resource allocation, information technology, customer focus, and differentiation on the performance of microfinance institutions in Nairobi City County. The study was founded on a resource-based view, dynamic capability and life-cycle theories. A target of 300 employees was targeted from which a sample of 172 research participants was recruited. The sample was selected through a combination of both stratified and sampling techniques. Questionnaires were used for primary data collection. Analysis used both descriptive and multiple regression analyses. The findings of the study indicated the urgency for microfinance organizations to adopt growth strategies that encompass innovative digital advancements, the introduction of novel products, innovation-focused strategies, and the digitization of services. The findings further highlighted the pivotal roles played by strategic positioning, strategic leadership, information technology integration, and differentiation in significantly shaping microfinance institutions’ performance. The findings also indicated that a unit enhancement of strategic positioning indicator had a significant enhancement on their individual performance. However, the effect of customer focus and resource allocation did not exhibit the same level of significance. The study recommended the reinforcement of strategic positioning, optimized resource allocation, embracing technological integration, and an unwavering focus on customer needs. The study recommended the exploration of diverse leadership styles, resource allocation strategies, and the undertaking of comparative analyses to draw insights into the effects of these factors on microfinance institutions.

The purpose of this paper is to establish the effect of the ease of access to mobile credit on the financial prosperity of MSEs. The ease of access describes the simplicity and easy way of enabling the provision of credit to a mobile money subscriber. Mobile credit means the credit offered through mobile phones whether from mobile phone operators in conjunction with banks or non-bank financial institutions or stand-alone mobile finance companies as per AFI - Global (2020) definition. This study tries to analyze whether there is a relationship between ease of access and the financial prosperity of an entrepreneur. Financial prosperity on the other hand is the economic well-being of a person or institution. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population for this study was 271,365 Licensed Small and Micro entrepreneurs in Nairobi County as per the Nairobi City County Licensing Database as of 16th November 2020. The sampling design employed a stratified sampling design to achieve a representative sample of the respondents. The sample size was 400 MSEs from each MSE, and the owner or key member was picked to participate. Overall, it was found that ease of access to mobile credit had a positive influence on financial prosperity. This implies that improved access to mobile credit leads to improved financial prosperity. An increase in Ease of access has a significant positive relationship (1.741432) with the financial prosperity composite. An increase in ease of access by one unit leads to an increase in financial prosperity by 1.741 units. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that mobile lenders should offer mobile credit with affordable terms. The mobile credit lenders should maintain a short period of the mobile money application process and approval to enhance the profitability and leverage of businesses. With good use of mobile credit, increased liquidity would increase financial prosperity for micro and small entrepreneurs.

The study aimed at assessing the influence of Access to credit as provided by Youth Enterprises Development Fund (YEDF) on the growth of entrepreneurial youth group-based enterprises and moderating effect of group dynamics on the relationship between access to credit and the growth of entrepreneurial youth group-based enterprises. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted and it used both quantitative and qualitative data. The accessible population comprised group leaders and Youth development Officers. This study employed stratified random sampling on a population of 255 subjects and a sample size was 156 group leaders out of which 121(77%) questionnaires were returned. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyze data. YEDF is a government fund initiative with a nationwide presence in Kenya with Nairobi County as the smallest, most populous, has the highest uptake of the YEDF loans amounting to 2.3 billion, and has the highest loan repayment rate of 48%. The analysis of data revealed that access to credit was significant in explaining the growth of entrepreneurial youth group-based enterprises in Nairobi County. Access to credit had an R of 0.222 and contributed only 4.9% to the growth of entrepreneurial youth group-based enterprise. The study established that when group dynamics was introduced the model remained significant and R improved from 0.222 to 0.390. The study concludes that Access to credit significantly influences the growth of Entrepreneurial youth group-based enterprises in Nairobi county while group dynamics have a predictive effect but has no moderating effect.

In the current dynamic world, those with no or little access to key financial products and services suffer a great deal of disservice. This study examines the effect of remittance channels (commercial banks and alternative sources) have on financial inclusion and then check the moderating effect of money remittance regulation on the relationship between the remittance channels and financial inclusion in Kenya. It uses the World Bank and Central Bank of Kenya’s dataset on remittances and financial inclusion covering the period from 2009 to 2018. We estimate our model using the Ordinary Least Square assumptions to find the association. We find that remittances from alternative channels other than commercial banks influence financial inclusion in Kenya. We further notice that the money remittance regulations have no moderating effect on the relationship between remittance channels and financial inclusion in Kenya. Our results suggest that commercial banks are not able to appropriately sell their products and services to remittance-receiving households while fintech and other internet remitting service providers seem to roll on products and services that enhance the use of savings and credit facilities. We suggest that more avenues and policies should be enacted to foster the use of alternative sources while improving structures within commercial banks to empower financial inclusion in Kenya

This article considers the influence of macro-economic factors as integrated factors in financial sustainability of Informal Finance Groups. Informal Finance Groups (IFGs) have become critical in poverty eradication around the world in enhancing access to finance. Despite acknowledgement of this fact, IFGs have been faced with financial constraints as a result of micro factors that affect them. This puts the financial sustainability of the IFGs at risk.  In this study, financial instability in informal finance groups is caused by these factors: loan pricing and loan repayment period. This study required to examine the connection between macro-economic factors and financial sustainability of informal finance groups in Kiharu Constituency in Murang’a County. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Findings indicate that there is relationship between macro-economic factors and financial sustainability of informal finance groups. The R value of 0.238 portrayed a positive linear relationship between the loan pricing practices and financial sustainability of Informal Finance Groups, and the R value of 0.354 portrayed a positive linear relationship between the loan repayment period and financial sustainability of Informal Finance Groups. Therefore the study concluded that the macro-economic factors have an influence on financial sustainability of informal finance groups. The study recommends that the IFGs should devise a standard criteria for optimal pricing of loans to avoid charging exorbitant rates which worsen the poverty situation of the rural residents. Further, the IFGs should also set up loan monitoring systems in place to avoid diversion and defaults.