Research & Analysis

Microfinance and Mobile Banking: The Story So Far

This Focus Note aims to do two things: (i) explore the various roles that MFIs can play in m-banking and (ii) explore the potential benefits MFIs and their customers expect to gain from pursuing m-banking.

Nonbank E-Money Issuers

The success of Kenya’s M-PESA has raised the question of how most effectively to regulate nonbanks who contract directly with customers to issue electronic value against receipt of equal funds.

Performance-Based Agreements

This Technical Guide presents the rationale for the use of performance-based agreements and suggests ways to incorporate performance-based targets and incentives into existing loan and grant agreements.

CGAP-MIX 2009 Arab Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report

This report provides a comprehensive view of the performance of the microfinance sector in the Arab region, beginning with a 2006-2008 study of scale and outreach trends with a sample of 35 microfinance institutions (MFIs) and a special focus on the microfinance sector crisis in Morocco, the only country to register a decrease in outreach in 2008.

CGAP-MIX 2009 Sub-Saharan Africa Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report

This report analyzes in detail the state of microfinance in 2008 throughout Sub-Saharan Africa focusing on key growth trends, major legal and regulatory changes, funding for microfinance, and performance of MFIs.

Microfinance Foreign Exchange Facilities: Performance and Prospects

Foreign capital investment in microfinance has been booming over the past four years. It can bring important benefits to MFIs, but it also comes with foreign exchange risk.

Measuring Financial Access around the World

This paper introduces a new set of financial access indicators for 139 countries across the globe and describes the results of a preliminary analysis of this data set. The new data set builds on previous work using a similar methodology.

Apexes: An Important Source of Local Funding

Apexes are an important source of local funding for microfinance—and even more so since the global financial crisis.

All Eyes on Asset Quality: Microfinance Global Valuation Survey 2010

The upheaval that hit mainstream financial markets and the reverberations that continue to be felt across the globe from the resulting economic crisis impacted MFIs and their clients.

Branchless Banking Diagnostic Template

The purpose of this template is to aid diagnostic teams in developing a robust understanding of the regulatory and practical environment related to branchless banking in any given jurisdiction.