Numerous microfinance initiatives around the world aim to alleviate poverty in developing countries. However, debate … community, which contribute about $9.4 billion to microfinance funding. In this policy-oriented article we aggregate findings … from two studies in Indonesia that help explain why moneylending can still thrive when low-interest microfinance is widely …

Studies on the relationship between religion and Entrepreneurship suggest that Islam discourages entrepreneurship. This … the negative effect of Islam on entrepreneurship only applies in the absence of Shariah-compliant access to finance. This … negative effect disappears in the presence of Islamic banks, thus disproving the generalized claim that Islam discourages …