The global microfinance sector faced a crisis in 2020, as many borrowers were unable to repay their loans due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. CGAP’s Global Pulse Survey of Microfinance Institutions, conducted June to December 2020, offered the financial inclusion community its first picture of how COVID-19 was affecting the microfinance sector at the global and regional levels.

This blog series presents CGAP's analysis of the survey data. The questions explored include: How is COVID-19 impacting MFIs' portfolio quality? Are MFIs facing a liquidity crisis? Is the solvency of institutions at risk? What is the outlook for the sector among MFIs?