Impact of microfinance on the financial performance and sustainability of selected micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMES) for the year 2018 to 2022 in Paco Public Market, Manila Aldueso, Lovely N.; Alferos, Marron T.; Esteves, Rolyn Mae C.; Neri, Lyka E.; Osma, Jude Erwin S. II ; Quinlog, Ellajhane B.; Vadlit, Sandra C. 6

Undergraduate Thesis: (BSBA major in Financial Management) - Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2023 56

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ABSTRACT: This paper aimed to evaluate the impact of microfinance on MSMEs financial performance and sustainability, as it is a financial-inclusive tool. The intervention of the govemment, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, business profile, and knowledge of MSMEs in microfinance are considered in the study to present its involvement in MSMEs and microfinance. The research adopted the Resource Dependence Theory proposed by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Gerald Salancik (1978), which suggested that businesses must acquire financial resources (microfinance services) from microfinance agencies to grow and sustain themselves. The study used a qualitative approach to obtaining data using a descriptive method and collected the data through survey questionnaires with selected registered MSMEs. Purposive sampling-a non-probability sampling- was used by the researcher on the 95 MSME respondents' sample size based on the given list of dry goods stalls registered during 2018 to 2022 in the Paco Public Market. For the data analysis, the descriptive frequency analysis approach, statistical frequency, and Chi-square are used as treatments to determine the findings in the data gathered. The research findings showed that most of the MSME respondents were sole proprietorships, micro-sized with less than ten employees, operating for over five years, and had acquired microfinance for more than five years through cooperatives. Concerning the knowledge of MSMEs in microfinance, the study found that most MSMEs have heard of microcredit, knew it as it offers a low interest rate, and seen it as an effective way to meet short-term and non-beneficial needs, as they have not faced any challenges as to microfinance access. Most MSMEs answered in the survey questionnaire of the study that they did not know about any of LGU's financial assistance programs for MSMEs, as well as about any new memoranda or news from the government concerning microfinance and MSMEs. The data analysis showed that most of the MSMEs respondents were unaffected by microfinance services on the financial performance, while most microfinance users strongly agreed that it helped maintain the business during the pandemic. The study concluded that during the pandemic, microfinance has helped to sustain the business, which implied that MSMEs used microfinance to meet their current needs, but it was irrelevant to the business's financial performance as it does not affect capital, revenue, or expenses. Microfinance services had a positive impact only on some of the MSME respondents' financial performance, while in terms of sustainability, microfinance had a positive impact on the majority of the MSME respondents. Thus, the study recommended that microfinance providers must develop innovations that can help MSMEs attain their full potential by adopting the Microfinance Pro approach, where they will also offer MSMEs additional support services such as financial literacy training, business mentoring, market linkages, and the distribution of printed microfinance materials. KEYWORDS: Microfinance,MSMES,sustainability, Paco Public Market Financial performance,

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