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Multiple Borrowing or Multiple Lending and Debt Fatigue

The common thread across locations in which repayment problems have been experienced is that customers are showing signs of fatigue arising from debt.

What You Don’t Know about M-PESA

Using the mobile as a platform, they plan to create developmental services that penetrate other spheres —m-health, agribusiness. They further predicted that the mobile will soon begin to revolutionize these other spaces as well.

All about Where the Curves Meet

The basic challenge in both micro and SME finance is that it costs more in absolute terms to lend a given amount in a number of small loans rather than one big loan, especially when it comes to those household and enterprise loans where approval decisions can’t be based on automatic scoring.

Are Microcredit Interest Rates Excessive?

High microfinance interest rates is a hotly debated topic in a lot of places. Obviously, the answer for a given MFI depends on its particular circumstances.

New CGAP Paper: Banking through Networks of Retail Agents

This Focus Note considers the issues, challenges, and opportunities of banking through networks of retail agents.

Why Has M-PESA Become So Popular in Kenya?

Despite the cash float problems, the majority of customers in both the urban and rural areas assert that they prefer M-PESA over other money transfer services. This means that M-PESA must be offering them some kind of substantial benefit.

New CGAP Paper Explores the Power of Shared Agent Networks

This Focus Note presents an alternative, systemic approach to branchless banking in which there is no need for a bank to have a contractual relationship with any of the retail outlets through which it is absorbing deposits or meeting liquidity needs of its customers.