Research & Analysis

Foreign Capital Investment in Microfinance

Microfinance is experiencing an unprecedented investment boom. The past five years have seen remarkable increases in the volume of global microfinance investments. Between 2004 and 2006, the stock of foreign capital investment—covering both debt and equity—more than tripled to US$4 billion.

Regulating Transformational Branchless Banking

In a fast increasing number, policy makers and regulators in other developing and transition countries are embracing “transformational branchless banking”—the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and nonbank retail channels to reduce costs of delivering financial services to clients beyond the reach of traditional banking.

An Analysis of Peru’s “Cajeros Corresponsales”

Most banks in Peru have tended to use banking agents fundamentally to shift low-value transactions away from the more costly branch channel and to extend the reach of their existing branches.

The True Cost of Deposit Mobilization

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) seem to be of two minds about the cost of mobilizing savings. In a recent CGAP study, the majority of institutions interviewed perceived deposits as the cheapest form of funding available, as well as stable, plentiful, and a valuable service to clients.

Toward a Social Performance Bottom Line in Microfinance

This Brief discusses the industry's growing interest in social performance and new advances in measuring social performance and developing guidelines and tools for reporting.

MFI Capital Structure Decision Making: A Call for Greater Awareness

This Brief summarizes the study's findings and makes recommendations about ways we can work toward optimizing MFI balance sheets.

Sustainability of Self-Help Groups in India: Two Analyses

This Occasional Paper reports on two separate studies of SHG programs. Part I looks primarily at the financial viability of SHG programs. Part II proposes a methodology for designing SHG programs to ensure their sustainability.

CGAP Reflections on the Compartamos Initial Public Offering

On April 20, 2007, Banco Compartamos, a microfinance institution (MFI) that was launched in 1990 and originally funded by grants from various sources, including CGAP, completed a landmark initial public offering (IPO) of its stock.

Beyond Good Intentions

This Focus Note highlights the emerging emphasis on social performance in microfinance and reviews some of the assessment tools recently developed.

Microfinance Investment Vehicles

This Brief explores implications of the rapid growth of MIVs for the microfinance industry.