Chinese Rural Cooperative Finance in the Era of Post-Commercialized Rural Credit Cooperatives

Rural credit cooperatives have become increasingly commercialized over the last decade. However, this does not spell the end of cooperative finance in rural China. Various new cooperative credit organizations have sprung up in recent years with endorsement from the central and local governments. They are designed to meet the wise-ranging credit demand of rural households and microenterprises that are increasingly left behind by formal credit institutions. Rural mutual aid funds (nongcun zijin huzhushe) are a cornerstone of cooperative finance in rural China, filling in the market gap left behind by commercialized financial institutions