This article analyses the relationship between outreach and performance of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) on the one hand and traditional financial sector development on the other. The results indicate that MFIs reach more clients and are more profitable in countries where access to the...

</titre> While microfinance has sometimes been excessively praised, it is now sometimes overly criticized, particularly for being too commercial. It is thus time to question its legitimacy, and this article aims to contribute to this debate. For this purpose, the authors first present a framework of...

This paper analyzes the location decisions and geographical expansion of microfinance institutions across Peru. To this end, econometric analyses are performed on a self-constructed dataset that covers MFI presence and expansion in the 1832 districts of Peru, and this for 39 MFIs and 13...

Microfinance is increasingly seen as a major development tool. Its promise to help the poor by providing financial services is seen as the major reason for its support. Nevertheless, its effectiveness on actual poverty reduction is not yet clear and therefore it generates some unresolved ethical...

This paper presents a first set of variables that possibly play a role in the uneven development of the microfinance sector in Latin America. A cross-country regression is applied by using a unique dataset on the outreach of microfinance institutions in the year 2001. Results indicate that...

This study aims to assess the role of culture as a determinant of financial inclusion, defined with respect to formal account ownership, saving and credit in/from formal financial institutions. A sample of 85 countries, comprising 50 developing and 35 developed countries from the World Bank’s...