Rural Finance Nepal (RUFIN) is a joint Nepali-German project, implemented by the Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal (ADBN), with technical assistance from the German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ). RUFIN aims at bringing sustainable financial services to the rural poor. The...

Over the last decade, Nepal has turned into a microfinance laboratory, exploring various approaches to provide financial services to the rural poor, both in the hill and plain areas of the country. The list of institutions and programs engaged in rural finance is long and includes informal...

That has to be uppermost in our minds as we think about what microfinance means. For IFAD, the finance issue is crucial to the task of reducing rural poverty. We do not insist on any particular institutional model. The demand for financial services is very diverse even among the poor, and we...

The Grameen Bank in Bangladesh is known worldwide for its success in providing credit to the poor. However, subsequent replications of its methodology in other parts of the world have been less successful. Is there really an infallible solution that works everywhere, and is outreach to the poor...

Only relief achieves short-term poverty reduction, but is ineffective in the long run. Sustainable poverty reduction can only be attained through well-designed long-term development measures. For example, Indonesia is considered one of the most successful countries with regard to poverty...

Agricultural development banks were established to extend credit and other financial services to customers considered noncreditworthy by the commercial banking sector. Although frequently unprofitable, they play an important role in the fight against rural poverty. This article asks if these...