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Metro moneylenders – Microcredit providers for Delhi's poor
01.06.2002
The Kalibasti slum of Delhi is virtually ignored by microfinance institutions, but well served by moneylenders. This article profiles three moneylenders and the products they offer, revealing that their background and mode of operation are quite different from each other. The article then goes on to analyse how much profit the moneylenders make. Moneylenders are obliged to remain small in order to maintain knowledge of their clients, and also to avoid attracting unwanted official attention. Their smallness also allows them to offer great flexibility in their products and scheduling; this is what makes them ideal lenders to the poor, and MFIs should learn from these characteristics.