Research & Analysis

Savings Are as Important as Credit: Deposit Services for the Poor

Savings are often the only way poor people can manage to pay for a major life event (such as a marriage or funeral), survive a natural disaster, or take advantage of a business opportunity. This Donor Brief outlines what donors can do to support savings services that help poor people improve their lives.

Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a Drop to Drink

"Water" in this title refers to donor funds for microfinance institutions (MFIs). Strong MFIs have an oversupply of donor funds, it seems money is everywhere. But many smaller and promising MFIs cannot get the funds they need to grow. This Donor Brief addresses how donor funding can become more effective.

Microcredit: One of Many Intervention Strategies

Microcredit is just one of many strategies that can alleviate poverty, generate income, and promote employment. This Donor Brief outlines for donors when microcredit will be successful, when it is inappropriate, and what alternative interventions can be used to strengthen the livelihoods of the poor.

Microfinance Donor Projects: Twelve Questions About Sound Practice

This Donor Brief highlights twelve questions and answers that will help donors introduce sound practice into their microfinance projects and increase their chances of success.

Apex Institutions in Microfinance

The Occasional Paper reviews the experience of national microfinance apexes -- wholesale mechanisms that channel funds, with or without supporting technical services, to retail microfinance institutions in a single country or integrated market.

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.

Resource Guide to Microfinance Assessments

This Resource Guide compares five of the better known microfinance institution (MFI) assessment services and describes the challenges facing such assessments.

CGAP Glossary of Microfinance Terms Spanish to English

A glossary of microfinance terms translated from Spanish to English.

Linking Microfinance and Safety Net Programs to Include the Poorest

Most studies of microfinance programs in Bangladesh indicate that the poor, and especially poor women, have been effectively targeted, and that microfinance programs have been successful in opening up economic opportunities for their clients, increasing access to resources and contributing to their confidence and well-being.

In-Country Donor Coordination

The continuing popularity of microfinance in the donor community has resulted in numbers of agencies in every developing country and transition economy seeking to support the development of the microfinance sector.