The creation of new microfinance institutions (greenfielding) is a key International Finance Corporation (IFC) intervention to increase access to finance in countries where there are few institutions serving micro and small businesses. IFC uses this approach extensively in Africa and in post...

"The chapters in this volume are peer reviewed editions of the papers presented at the 7th meeting of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy which was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 15-17, 2010. The theme for Forum VII was Water for the Americas: Challenges and...

This Brief is a summary of: Rosenberg, Richard, Gonzalez, Adrian and Narain, Sushma, The New Moneylenders: Are the Poor Being Exploited by High Microcredit Interest Rates? (Feb 2009). CGAP Ocassional Paper No. 15. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1400291

This paper explores whether microcredit borrowers are charged unreasonably high interest rates. It draws on data from Microfinance Information Exchange and the MicroBanking Bulletin. The paper does not find evidence suggesting any widespread pattern of borrower exploitation by MFIs charging high...