Oligopolistic banks profit by lending little at high margins.

Evidence

To justify their lack of risk-taking, the commercial banks point to the insufficient guarantees of potential clients. In reality, the oligopolistic nature of the banking systems of the franc zone allows them to make significant profits without having to worry too much about financing the local economies. They prefer to lend little – mostly to large companies – at high interest rates rather than lend more at more reasonable rates. It’s a strategy known as ‘high margin’. — Fanny Pigeaud_ Ndongo Samba Sylla, Africa’s Last Colonial Currency, 311