Frontiers in microfinance research for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs): a bibliometric analysis

Abstract This article aims to present current research trends in microfinance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs), as microfinance plays an increasingly role in entrepreneurship development and poverty alleviation. The study uses a bibliometric analysis, in this work, we performed citation, bibliographic coupling, and keyword evolution analyses. The results show that research in microfinance for SMEs and microfinance institutions continue to grow. The authors found that recent research in microfinance for SMEs and microfinance institutions has evolved around eight thematic clusters, covering (1) access to and constraints on microcredit for SMEs (2) microfinance and economic empowerment, (3) sustainability of MFIs, (4) creditworthiness, microfinance technology infrastructure and financing patterns, (5) Islamic financial inclusion, (6) credit assessment models for microcredit, (7) microfinance and innovative business models, and (8) gender and equity crowdfunding. Research gaps in each of the thematic clusters are identified. Topics related to COVID-19, Islamic social finance, microfinance institutions, credit scoring models, crowdfunding, and entrepreneurial finance are likely to feature in the domain of microfinance and sustainability of MFIs in future.