We analyze the determinants of portfolio yield of microfinance institutions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and China over the period 1998-2011. We confirm that targeting women borrowers improves the financial results of microfinance...

Agricultural output in developing countries still represents a substantial part of GDP. This ratio has actually increased in some areas such as Latin America. As such, there is an increasing importance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) focusing on activities associated with agriculture and...

This article belongs to the game theoretic and information economics literature dealing with the problem of signaling in the context of game theoretical models of entry into the industry. As opposed to the majority of literature we consider the situation of asymmetric information where the...

This paper provides a brief but comprehensive overview of microfinance academic literature with emphasis on recent innovations, trends and efficiency. In particular, we focus on controversial issues of microfinance, such as commercialization, regulation, interest rate policy and the balance...

We describe the export credit agencies in the Czech Republic and the export promotion strategy of the Czech government. The policy part of the paper is focused on the interac- tion of government owned and supported Czech Export Bank with the Czech commercial banks. We argue that the major market...

In this paper we first introduce microfinance institutions as an alternative investment instrument. We argue that beside socially responsible features of microfinance, there exists also significant portfolio enhancement opportunity in microfinance investments. Then we provide an overview of...

The aim of this paper is to clarify the problems of microfinance and the sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFI) in financial crisis. We find, that MFIs are often considered as one of the most effective and flexible strategies in the fight against global poverty. Due to several often...

The paper focuses on comparison of the functioning of microfinance in various developing regions of the world, as well as on the analysis of the overall functioning, effectiveness, strengths and weaknesses, potential threats and opportunities in the microfinance markets. The conclusion offers...

This paper investigates the role of public expenditures and general government debt in microfinance performance. Our panel regression applied to the data of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America and the Caribbean confirms the high significance of public finance for the growth of...

This paper examines the main risk management opportunities and threats, which microfinance institutions (MFIs) are exposed to. Awareness and understanding of these indicators can make the evolution of microfinance more accurate and simultaneously can help to locate the microfinance market in the...