Publication:
National Microfinance Strategies

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (229.94 KB)
475 downloads
English Text (15.62 KB)
84 downloads
Published
2008-06
ISSN
Date
2012-08-13
Editor(s)
Abstract
An increasing number of countries are developing national microfinance strategies, bringing the topic to the forefront of national development priorities. Over 30 countries, most in Africa, now have such strategies. This trend appears to be fueled by microfinance's heightened visibility and new development modalities that favor sector-wide approaches and policy work. Developing a national microfinance strategy usually involves four stages: (i) conducting a diagnostic/gap analysis of the microfinance sector; (ii) consulting with stakeholders (more or less extensively); (iii) drafting a document, usually by a consultant in cooperation with government; and (iv) adopting and implementing the strategy, including approval by a governmental body and, in some cases, defining action steps to put the strategy into practice.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Duflos, Eric; Glisovic-Mézières, Jasmina. 2008. National Microfinance Strategies. CGAP Brief. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9515 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Are Deposits a Stable Source of Funding for Microfinance Institutions?
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-06) Abakaeva, Julia; Glisovic-Mezieres, Jasmina
    Poor people save. The conventional view is that low-income depositors transact more frequently than holders of larger accounts and are more prone to income disruptions from natural disasters, health issues, crime, and other factors. This perception makes financial institutions stepping into the under-served low-income space worry about whether they can use small deposits to fund their lending operations. But new research finds that under normal circumstances, aggregate balances for low-income accounts move gradually, and they are not prone to abrupt month-by month swings. This should make liquidity management easier because it gives the institutions enough time to adjust to changes in deposit supply over several months.
  • Publication
    Microfinance Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa : Turning Opportunities into Reality
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012-06) Glisovic, Jasmina; Mesfin, Senayit; Moretto, Louise
    Yet despite healthy economic prospects, the region has the lowest share of banked households in the world (12 percent) and the highest share of poor people, with 50 percent of the population living on $1.25 a day or less (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, or CGAP and World Bank 2010). More work needs to be done to expand financial access, and many governments and international funders are keen to contribute. Equity and debt capital continues to be important in developing financial services for low-income populations in the region. However, local equity is not available in most countries, and local debt funding is scarce. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) microfinance relies heavily on deposit funding, mostly composed of short-term deposits, while many smaller institutions cannot attract sufficient deposits to finance growth. The region received 11 percent of global microfinance funding commitments in 2010.4 In terms of cross-border investment, it received among the lowest levels in the world, $1 billion out of a total of $13 billion as of December 2010 (Reille, Forster, and Rozas 2011). This brief examines public and private foreign investment in SSA microfinance retailers, and the key challenges that limit investment. The findings are based on CGAP data on cross-border funding flows, publicly available resources, and interviews with more than 30 investors and other stakeholders conducted in the first quarter of 2012.
  • Publication
    Linking Financial Service Providers to Commercial Capital : How Do Guarantees Add Value?
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-05) Latortue, Alexia; Glisovic-Mezieres, Jasmina
    In microfinance, experimentation with loan guarantees began largely as an attempt to demonstrate to local banks that Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are creditworthy. Though loan guarantees are far less common than other funding instruments, such as debt, equity, and grants, they are beginning to be used more often. This brief is based on a joint Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP)/United States Agency for International Development (USAID) study of 96 transactions executed by eight guarantor agencies between 1988 and 2005, with most transactions made after 2000.
  • Publication
    Country-Level Effectiveness and Accountability Review : Madagascar
    (CGAP and the World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-10) Moyart, Manuel; Duflos, Eric; Latortue, Alexia; Lecuyer, Francois; Isern, Jennifer; Rauch, Hubert
    This Country-Level Effectiveness and Accountability Review (CLEAR) examines the efficacy of microfinance aid in Madagascar, based on an objective analysis of donor assistance for the sustainable development of financial systems targeting the poor. The three levels of the financial system are the micro level (e.g., retail institutions), the meso level (e.g., apex, technical service providers), and the macro level (e.g., regulations and policies). At the micro level, there is a large number of stakeholders, and an increasing interest of banks and private investors, including a predominant stake by the Decentralized Financial Systems (DFS), as well as major roles by the local Savings Institution and the Post Office. At the meso level, there is a supply of services such as auditing. Finally, at the macro level, coordination and supervision exist, and a specific legal framework on microfinance is in place. Notwithstanding, microfinance in Madagascar remains weak, and, concerns suggest DFSs carry structural weaknesses at various levels. Additionally, it is specified services in support of microfinance are still rare, and its quality it debatable. Professional organizations need to be strengthened, particularly as lack of reliable information on financial results is concerned. At the macro level, supervisory and coordinating agencies rely on limited means, whereas the legal framework is not fully supportive. Risks suggest potential market disruptions resulting from subsidies and interest rate hikes, an implication by which the Ministry of Agriculture not always agrees with the Microfinance National Strategy. Finally, the judicial system does not rely enough in favor of the development of the financial sector.
  • Publication
    MIV Performance and Prospects : Highlights from the CGAP 2009 MIV Benchmark Survey
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-09) Reille, Xavier; Glisovic-Mezieres, Jasmina; Berthouzoz, Yannis; Milverton, Damian
    Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest' (CGAP) 2009 Microfinance Investment Vehicles (MIVs) survey sheds light on the resilience of microfinance investments. MIVs grew by 31 percent in 2008 and posted strong returns on investments in the face of one of the toughest financial crises in decades. However, overall MIV performance may deteriorate in 2009 as the impact of adverse market conditions, including increased credit risks, hits. The survey, for the first time, also reveals MIVs' efforts to include environment, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in their investment policies, due diligence, and monitoring.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    World Development Report 2006
    (Washington, DC, 2005) World Bank
    This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.
  • Publication
    Business Ready 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03) World Bank
    Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.
  • Publication
    Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022
    (Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank
    The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.
  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.