This research advances the hypothesis that female leaders (CEO, chair, and director) of a microfinance institution (MFI) give more priority to the poorest families in loan provision than male leaders. We differentiate between a depth and a width dimension of financial inclusion. The data set is...

We trace the relationship between firm performance and corporate governance in microfinance institutions (MFI) utilising a self constructed global data set on MFIs, collected from third-party rating agencies. We study the effect of board characteristics, ownership type, competition and...

Is the microfinance institution (MFI) able to charge unduly high lending rates and obtain a profitability incompatible with perfect competition? We use a global panel data set of MFIs. The Panzar and Rosse revenue test in static and dynamic versions is employed, together with analyses of price...

We examine the relationship between firm performance and corporate governance in microfinance institutions (MFI) using a self-constructed global dataset on MFIs collected from third-party rating agencies. Using random effects panel data estimations, we study the effects of board and CEO...

This chapter gives the reader an introduction to microfinance and reports how the industry has moved from generally being praised to increasingly being criticized. Particularly the chapter addresses the concern that microfinance institutions chase profits and are moving away from the poor...

Controversies have been a hallmark of microfinance in the years following the initial euphoria due to the awarding of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize to Grameen Bank and Mohammad Yunus. MFIs have been accused of making people credit-dependent. How, though, do we measure their success or lack of it?...

Microbanks serve micro-enterprises and poor people with financial services. This study examines how various aspects of international influence affect microbanks' financial and social performance. Grounded in agency theory and resource-based theory, we argue that there are multiple ways that the...

Microfinance – the provision of financial services to the poor – is high on the public agenda. We discuss and evaluate three myths regarding microfinance based on new data from rated microfinance institutions (MFIs). The first myth is that an efficient MFI needs to be shareholder owned; second...

The microfinance industry carries every sign of an innovation in its take-off phase. The various aspects of the microfinance innovation were developed in the 1980's, twenty years later the industry experiences a phenomenal growth rate, and it has diffused to most developing countries in the...