The wisdom in rural finance has long been that lending to and saving by the poor is doomed to failure: costs are too high, they are not creditworthy and they are not able to save. A number of success stories in microfinance industry (MFI) have changed this pessimistic assessment during the past...

The Nobel Peace Prize to Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus and the concept of Grameen Bank (GB) has refreshed the public’s interest in GB and microfinance in general. Looking into the GB model of microfinance, this article argues that there is a need to take stock of the services currently being...

Microcredit and poverty alleviation : pluses and minuses -- The Bangladesh economy and poverty in Bangladesh -- The rural financial structure and the Grameen Bank -- -- Economic impact of Grameen microcredit -- Poverty alleviation impact of Grameen microcredit