Abstract

The paper aims to discuss the effect of household factors on repayment ability among borrowers of Islamic microfinance in Bangladesh. Cross-sectional survey was used on borrowers who have been involved for more than two years in rural development scheme. Data was collected from 507 households through a close-ended questionnaire. The survey found that household income increased significantly after access to the Islamic microfinance program. The structural equation model analysis shows that household income has a significant positive effect on repayment ability. Household savings and consumption were also found to have a significant positive relationship with household income. Household savings also has a significant positive relationship with repayment ability when it is negative with the household consumption. Unlike conventional studies, this study found that borrowers involved in farm activities have a better repayment ability. The emerging result contributes to the research regarding repayment problems and the findings demonstrate that the adoption of Islamic microfinance could be a better solution. It is also anticipated that the empirical result will contribute to the furtherance of literature on Islamic microfinance.

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