Does peer-to-peer crowdfunding boost refugee entrepreneurs?

Abstract

To provide new insights into the determinants of fundraising success for loans requested by refugees on a prosocial peer-to-peer (P2P) platform, this study investigates more than 180,000 business loan campaigns during 2015–2018. The leading online P2P platform offers access to financing for refugee entrepreneurs in developing countries, and the benefits are especially strong for refugees with prior borrowing experience. However, the results also reveal discrimination against female refugee entrepreneurs, compared with their non-refugee counterparts, in this P2P prosocial context. This gap should be addressed by scholars and policymakers determined to reach excluded and niche groups, including women and refugees.