The microfinance industry provides financial services to the world’s poor in hopes of moving individuals and families out of poverty. In 2013 there were 4.7 million active microfinance borrowers in Africa. This represents a smaller percentage of the population compared to other regions of the world, indicating the potential for rapid growth of microfinance in Africa. However, microfinance is ma...

This study focused on the effect of micro-credit on the profitability of crop production in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. A sample size of 166 small-scale farmers was randomly selected from the farming communities in Orhionmwon Local Government Area. Ninety two (92) beneficiaries and 74 non-beneficiaries were randomly selected from the study area. A well-structured que...

The following selection presents some of the key publications focusing on the microfinance sector in Latin America. Addressing a variety of issues related to microfinance in the region, and highlighting examples from a diverse group of Latin American countries, the publications can be grouped into the following categories: Assessing Risk; Regulations and Regulatory Frameworks; Impact Evaluation...

Founded on the assumption that poor people are “natural entrepreneurs” (Bornstein 2005), microfinance has signaled a paradigm shift in development ideology. Using my experiences with microfinance in a fishing village in Senegal, this study will address the claims driving the microfinance movement, debate its pros and cons and pose further questions about its validity and widespread implementati...

It is a challenge for the poor to overcome the barriers to accessing health services. Membership-based microfinance with associated health programmes can improve health outcomes for the poor. This study reviewed the evidence published between 1993 and 2013 on the role of membership-based microfinance with associated health programmes in improving health outcomes for the poor in South Asia. A to...

Agriculture plays a great role in the economy of many countries including Tanzania where majority depends on agriculture-based activities for their livelihoods. Access to agricultural credit is vital growth and development sector Tanzania, hence financing agriculture key issue rural development. Despite effort Government make services available affordable its majority, access among smallholder ...

According to the United Nations (UN), in 2002 almost one-fifth of the world population (i e, 1.3 billion people) was living in extreme poverty, earning less than one dollar a day. In recent public debates microfinance has been mentioned as an important instrument to combat poverty. Therefore, microfinance has received a lot of attention, both from policy-makers as well as in academic circles. E...

Microfinance has proven to financial institutions (i.e. banks) that the services they provide to their “traditional” clients can also be offered to poor and low-income entrepreneurs and clients, in a sustainable and viable manner. These institutions have seen that reaching out to the majority of the country’s population, which is the low-income market, does not necessarily mean a losing proposi...

The paper briefly described the operational mechanism innovation of key Microfinance Service Providers (MSPs) in Bangladesh. Grameen Bank has chosen to examine the approaches of microfinance. Grameen Bank is dominating microfinance market in Bangladesh in outreach, outstanding loans, savings, and efficient selected delivery mechanism. They offer micro-credit, savings and social services to the ...

Microfinance has become a popular part of poverty reduction agendas since its inception roughly 30 years ago. Despite dramatic growth, however, many microfinance institutions face low penetration rates. It turns out many potential borrowers choose not to participate. Current explanations for this phenomenon largely focus on skill, arguing that high skill entrepreneurs generate expected returns ...