Consensus Guidelines

Microfinance Investment Vehicles Disclosure Guidelines

September 30, 2010

The purpose of this publication is to establish clear guidelines for MIVs reporting to investors. The recommended disclosures include key information on MIVs’ profiles.

Good Practice Guidelines for Funders of Microfinance

October 1, 2006

This Consensus Guidelines provide practical guidance for donor staff on how to best interact with, and support, the various actors in microfinance. These guidelines were developed through a highly participatory process, including comments from 20 CGAP member donors and 10 other civil society organizations and individuals. This is the latest edition of these guidelines, which were first published as "Building Inclusive Financial Systems: Donor Guidelines on Good Practice Microfinance" in December 2004.

Developing Deposit Services for the Poor

February 1, 2005

These guidelines embody the working consensus of CGAP donor members on how donors can support deposit services in microfinance.

Key Principles of Microfinance

January 1, 2004

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.

Definitions of Selected Financial Terms, Ratios, and Adjustments for Microfinance

September 1, 2003

This Consensus Guidelines puts forward standard definitions for selected financial terms, commonly used and subject to confusion, and suggests a standard method of calculating certain financial ratios. The definitions established in this document will make comparisons among MFIs more meaningful and promote more transparency in MFI reporting.

Disclosure Guidelines for Financial Reporting by Microfinance Institutions

July 1, 2003

This Consensus Guidelines represents the consensus of CGAP's member donors on microfinance institution (MFI) financial reporting requirements. The guidelines do not prescribe accounting policies or any particular format for financial reporting. Rather, they indicate the minimum information that should be included in MFI financial reports, regardless of how that information is presented.

Guiding Principles on Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance

June 1, 2003

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.