Cash and Accrual Accounting in a Randomized Field Experiment

Last registered on May 27, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Cash and Accrual Accounting in a Randomized Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018516
Initial registration date
April 29, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
May 27, 2026, 9:35 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Maximilian Muhn
Affiliation
University of Chicago
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Matthias Breuer
PI Affiliation
Goethe University of Frankfurt
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PI Name
Pietro Bonetti
PI Affiliation
IESE
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-06-06
End date
2027-12-31
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
Accounting, accrual accounting, cash flow reporting, management accounting, performance reporting, microfinance, fintech, field experiment, loan portfolios, branch managers, information acquisition, decision usefulness
JEL code(s)
G21, M41, O16, G32, D83, C93
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We intend to examine the decision usefulness of cash- and accrual-based performance reports in a large-scale randomized field experiment. Specifically, we intent to investigate the effects of providing bank-branch managers with periodic reports featuring cash- or accrual-based summary measures of their branch’s loan-portfolio performance on loan-portfolio characteristics (size and riskiness).
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bonetti, Pietro, Matthias Breuer and Maximilian Muhn. 2026. "Cash and Accrual Accounting in a Randomized Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. May 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18516-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention introduces periodic branch-level performance reports into an existing cloud-based accounting system. The reports summarize recent lending activity at the branch level and provide comparisons with prior months.
Intervention Start Date
2026-06-06
Intervention End Date
2027-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Branch-level loan-portfolio outcomes.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Primary outcomes capture the quantity and quality of branch-level loan portfolios, including portfolio size, portfolio growth, and measures of portfolio riskiness such as loans in arrears or portfolio at risk. Similarly, the approval and other decisions by branch managers (and their loan officers). These outcomes are constructed from administrative data recorded in the system.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Branch managers’ information acquisition and engagement with the system.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
If possible to measure, secondary outcomes capture the frequency and intensity of branch managers’ engagement with the system and the reports, (depending on data availability, logins, report views, clicks, and related system use). If possible, we also use survey responses to assess managers’ perceptions of the usefulness of the reports.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct a randomized field experiment with bank branches using a cloud-based accounting system. The experiment is designed to generate random variation in branch-level reporting and in the accounting basis of the reports.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Branches are randomly assigned by computer to one of three conditions: cash-based report, accrual-based report, or control. Randomization is conducted within banks where feasible, including stratified randomization, and tries to minimize differences in pre-treatment covariates.
Randomization Unit
Bank branch.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Depends on the number of enrolled institutions (and their number of branches). Currently planning with three (initial institutions) and a sample of up to 800 branches. Any additional institutions will increase the sample size and we strive for the largest size possible.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Same, only more granular if loan-level data can be extracted (currently aggregated to branch-level obs); can be observed over time.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Planning 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Chicago
IRB Approval Date
2021-09-10
IRB Approval Number
IRB21-1343
Analysis Plan

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