Financial reforms, financial openness, and corporate debt maturity: International evidence

Abstract

We study how credit market deregulation and financial openness have changed corporate debt maturity. The evidence comes from a large panel of publicly traded firms in 38 countries in the post 1994 period. Reforms are measured with a comprehensive index that tracks six separate dimensions. We find that these transformations have lengthened debt maturity in advanced economies as expected, suggesting that in these countries corporate credit markets have become deeper. In emerging economies, the picture is more mixed: more international openness has led to shorter debt maturity. The effects of financial sector reforms on debt maturity differ depending on the type of reform.

Keywords

• Corporate debt maturity
• Financial reforms
• Financial openness
• International financial markets