Searching: Research & Analysis

The Impact of Interest Rate Ceilings on Microfinance

Interest rate ceilings imposed by governments to protect poor people unfortunately often have the opposite effect. Customers do need protection from predatory lending practices, and this Donor Brief offers other options governments and donors can use.

Key Principles of Microfinance

Because sustainable microfinance is a key element in creating solid financial markets in developing countries, CGAP's members developed and endorsed these Key Principles of Microfinance. The G8 also endorsed these principles at its June 2004 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia, USA, as part of its commitment to expanding access to microfinance. Principles address how sustainable microfinance can be a powerful instrument against poverty.

Guiding Principles on Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance

Captured here is broad consensus on many principles of good practice in regulation and supervision of microfinance. The guidelines summarize these principles for government regulators and others engaged in moving microfinance into the formal financial sector.

Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance

This Donor Brief provides a simple and clear summary of the increasingly complex issues in microfinance regulation and supervision. It includes definitions of key terms, clear guidelines, and options for donor action.

Scoring: The Next Breakthrough in Microcredit?

Scoring is a way to judge the risk of whether the self-employed poor will repay their microcredit debts as promised This Occasional Paper discusses how scoring works, what microlenders can expect from it, how to use it, and what its implications are for microcredit.

Microcredit Interest Rates

This Occasional Paper explains how a microfinance institution (MFI) should estimate the interest rate on its loans if the institution wants to become sustainable; how to calculate the effective interest yield on loans; and what different loan and repayment methods are used to determine the true rate of interest income received by an MFI. This Occasional Paper also discusses evidence that MFI clients are capable of paying high interest rates, concluding that MFIs should be able to cover their costs.

Microfinance Transparency and Reporting to Donors

Knowing and understanding the components that contribute to transparency in microfinance is half of battle. It is also particularly useful to know how donor reports can enhance transparency for the whole microfinance sector. This Donor Brief provides suggestions for achieving better transparency in reporting.

Making Sense of Microcredit Interest Rates

Why do microfinance institutions (MFIs) charge such high interest rates to the poor? This Donor Brief gives donors a quick reference to use when answering questions about seemingly high microcredit interest rates. It also explains how donors can tell if an MFI's rates are too high and suggests what to do.

A Multilateral Donor Triumphs over Disbursement Pressure

The CrediAmigo microfinance program mounted by Brazil’s Banco do Nordeste (BN) shows how an international financial institution like the World Bank can be a useful catalyst in the development of microfinance retail capacity.

Commercialization and Mission Drift: Transformation in Latin America

This Occasional Paper examines the impact of commercialization and increased competition on the strategy and performance of microfinance institutions in Latin America, with particular focus on "mission drift"-- whether or not commercialization drives MFIs to deviate from their original missions.