Research & Analysis

Banking Through Networks of Retail Agents

Access to financial services—whether in the form of savings, payments, credit, or insurance—is a fundamental tool for managing a family’s well-being and productive capacity.

Linking Financial Service Providers to Commercial Capital:

This Brief addresses guarantees used by microfinance institutions as funding instruments.

Extending Financial Services with Banking Agents

This Brief provides a quick look at the growing use of banking agents to extend financial services to low-income and poor people.

The Early Experience with Branchless Banking

Branchless banking has great potential to extend the distribution of financial services to poor people who are not reached by traditional bank branch networks; it lowers the cost of delivery, including costs both to banks of building and maintaining a delivery channel and to customers of accessing services (e.g., travel or queuing times).

Are We Overestimating Demand for Microloans?

This Brief discusses the various issues that should be considered when estimating demand for microloans. Although numerous attempts have been made to answer this question, it is difficult to come up with a reliable answer.

Being Able to Make (Small) Deposits and Payments, Anywhere

In this paper we put forth a vision in which people are able to make small deposits into their bank account through a variety of cash handling outlets right in their neighborhood.

Microinsurance: What Can Donors Do?

Microinsurance is growing increasingly popular among donors as a way to help poor people manage risks and reduce their vulnerability. This Brief addresses how donors can support microinsurance efforts.

Appraisal Guide for Microfinance Institutions

This publication includes a technical guide with essentials for an appraisal; a resource manual; and a spreadsheet to generate summary tables.

Making Money Transfers Work for Microfinance Institutions

This Technical Guide helps financial service providers determine whether they should offer money transfer services.

Microfinance Banana Skins 2008

According to this new survey of the risks facing microfinance, completed at a time when the sector is undergoing profound changes, the greatest threats to the business lie in poor management and inadequate corporate governance.