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Microfinance — involving banks
01.06.1997
Many NGOs in the developing world have established systems for providing small loans to the poor and to microenterprises profitably, as have some banks in developed countries. The banks in developing countries have a far larger asset base than NGOs, but as yet offer little microfinance. This article argues that banks can benefit from offering financial services to the poor and to microenterprises, and can learn from working with NGOs. It proposes ways in which this can be done — notably through credit guarantee schemes — and offers some case studies from the project portfolio of co-operation for Development, a UK-based NGO.