Voluntary audit, investment, and financing decisions in LatinAmerican small and medium enterprises

Abstract

We study the effects of voluntarily contracting an external audit in a sample of small andmedium-sized enterprises in the four largest Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil,Colombia, and Mexico. The evidence shows that, for companies exempt from mandatoryauditing, audited financial statements positively affect the access to bank financing, fixedassets investment, and the percentage of working capital financed with suppliers. Theresults contribute to an active policy debate on the role of the voluntary audit regime forsmall and medium enterprises.