The Grameen Bank of Bangladesh is widely considered as one of the world's most sucessful financial institutions banking with the poor. In an effort to alleviate poverty, donors have supported replication programs in 26 countries. This analysis is based on some case studies from Indonesia, the...

Our knowledge about microfinance in developing countries has been greatly enriched in recent years by the experience of numerous institutions. Different sound technologies and practices of financial services to all segments of the population have emerged; there is no single best practice or...

Due to the overall failure of donor-driven subsidized directed credit administered by government-owned development finance institutions, the emphasis in development policy has shifted to (rural) financial systems development and the building of self-reliant, sustainable institutions. While...

Uganda, where 85 % of the population live in rural areas, has experienced a rapid rise of rural and microfinance over the last ten years. There is a pronounced gender awareness in public policities and programs. Best practices have been mastered by institutions in the formal and the NGO sector....