Does Microcredit Benefit the Poor? New Evidence from a Long Panel Survey of Microfinance Clients in Bangladesh
Microfinance has long been seen by many as a panacea for fighting poverty by providing access to financial services to low-income population considered unbankable by the traditional financial system.
Structured finance for small business loans in India
The fast emerging small business loan (SBL) segment caters to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurs which typically find it difficult to access funds through traditional sources.
Pricing in Microfinance: Theory and Empirical Evidence
Rosenberg et al. recently published a report on Microcredit Interest Rates and Their Determinants covering the period 2004 to 2011
How Utkarsh Microfinance handles Customer Grievance
On a recent visit to MFIs working in eastern Uttar Pradesh, we chanced upon some great innovations and field practices, which are clearly taking customer focus to the next level. In this post, I elaborate on the innovation we saw at Utkarsh Microfinance in Varanasi.
Innovations in Micro Finance: Field notes from Eastern Uttar Pradesh
A few colleagues and I recently travelled through Varanasi and Mirzapur in Eastern Uttar Pradesh visiting Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) in that region and their clients. I am delighted to report that this region, one of the poorest in India, is a hotbed of innovations.
Cost of Delivering Rural Credit in India
Central to the debate on access to finance for India, is the question of the most appropriate channel for credit delivery. Credit intermediation has traditionally been the stronghold of banks, driven by policy mandates and regulatory backing.
The March Phenomenon in Agricultural Lending
The Task Force on Credit Related Issues of Farmers, chaired by Umesh Chandra Sarangi, in its report submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India,
Funding to the microfinance sector: Review of options
The Indian microfinance sector has seen a series of rapid changes in the past decade.
FICCI Workshop on Strengthening Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
FICCI had organised a panel discussion followed by a workshop on “Strengthening Microfinance Institutions (MFIs): Good governance and Strategic People Practices” on April 23, 2012 in Mumbai.
A Randomized Evaluation of Financial Services in Tamil Nadu
A recent report titled “Latest findings from Randomized Evaluations of microfinance” by Jonathan Bauchet, Cristoball Marshall, Laura Starita, Jeanette Thomas and Anna Yalouris, throws a lot of interesting insights into the realm of randomized evaluations and how they are being increasingly used by researchers across the globe to better understand financial services for the poor and the impacts achieved when an appropriate financial intervention is introduced.
