How is COVID-19 impacting the portfolio quality of microfinance institutions and other lenders serving low-income customers? Are providers facing a liquidity crisis? Is their solvency at risk? What is their outlook on the sector? CGAP’s Global Pulse Survey of Microfinance Institutions, conducted June – December 2020, offered the first picture of how COVID-19 was affecting the microfinance sector at the global and regional levels. Following on the pulse survey, CGAP and Symbiotics began releasing joint “snapshots” on how the pandemic is affecting Symbiotics’ global portfolio.

See periodic updates on how COVID-19 is affecting the portfolio quality, financial health, and ability to serve excluded clients of Symbiotics’ portfolio of over 300 MFIs worldwide.

From June to December 2020, CGAP surveyed hundreds of MFIs around the world about how COVID-19 was affecting their performance. View data and analysis from the survey.
CGAP is gathering information about actions taken by governments to provide relief to borrowers and lenders, assessing their impact on MFIs and low-income customers, and working to ensure that regulatory responses incorporate best practices.

Framework for regulatory response
COVID-19 BRIEFING JUNE 2020
Microfinance and COVID-19: A Framework for Regulatory Response
A framework for identifying and assessing crisis responses must take account of the special characteristics of microfinance which leads to the question of how regulators should respond. A review of current practice in a range of countries suggests there are six key steps to be taken at the level of regulation and policy.
CGAP BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS JUNE 2020
Policy, Regulatory, and Supervisory COVID-19 Responses for Microfinance
A set of CGAP background documents examine the impact of the COVID-19 crisis at the country level. These documents provide a snapshot of the policy and regulatory responses adopted by financial authorities in four countries: Peru, India, Pakistan, and Uganda.

Principles for regulatory response
COVID-19 BRIEFING SEPTEMBER 2020
Microfinance and COVID-19: Principles for Regulatory Response
As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, further policy steps have proven necessary, both within and beyond the financial sector, to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on businesses and ordinary people. This Briefing applies five guiding principle to country contexts, and specifically addresses what each principle means for regulatory responses to the COVID-19 crisis.
DATA SEPTEMBER 2020
Microfinance & COVID-19: Examples of Regulatory Responses affecting Microfinance Providers
This table provides country examples for regulatory responses identified in the Briefing Microfinance and COVID-19: Principles for Regulatory Response.

Debt restructuring in microfinance
COVID-19 BRIEFING SEPTEMBER 2020
Debt Restructuring in Microfinance
The twin global crises of a health pandemic and economic lockdowns are severely harming the livelihoods of low-income people around the world. Microfinance providers and funders are returning to the negotiating table to respond to liquidity and, possibly, solvency issues facing distressed MFPs.
Continue to: Introduction | Digital Cash Transfers | Customer Insights | Lessons from Past Crises |