Collateral Monetary Policy, Regional Financial Development, and Nonfinancial Firms' Shadow Banking Activities

Abstract The disparity in credit access between large firms and small and medium‐sized enterprises contributes to the prevalence of shadow banking activities, where large, nonfinancial firms with high credit ratings have become new financial intermediaries. These activities vary geographically and are affected significantly by collateral monetary policy. This paper examines the effect of collateral monetary policy, its reform, and regional financial development characteristics on large firms' shadow banking activities, with a focus on the medium‐term lending facility (MLF), the primary collateral monetary policy instrument in China. The results indicate that the MLF encouraged large firms' shadow banking activity. However, the MLF reform in 2018 mitigated this effect by broadening the range of acceptable collateral. Regional financial development, such as a higher number of bank branches around firms, facilitated large firms' shadow banking activities and amplified the MLF's stimulating effect. In contrast, regional advancements in digital finance and market development limited both shadow banking activities and MLF's impact.