Small Customers, Big Market: Commercial Banks in Microfinance

* First comprehensive look at commercial bank experience in microfinance

* Shows commercial opportunities for banks in a new market

* Worldwide case studies and applicability

This book shows commercial bankers that they can profitably provide microfinance services to the poor. It illustrates, through the experience of particular banks, why banks have become involved and how they have made a success of their involvement.

The eighteen case studies all show that banks can earn good profits at the same time as serving the needs of people who previously lacked access to financial services.

The authors also demonstrate to foreign aid donors, policy makers, NGO staff and microfinance practitioners that it is often quicker, less expensive and more effective for microfinance services to be provided by commercial banks than by specialist microfinance institutions

Countries covered — Bangladesh, Benin, Ecuador, Egypt, George, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Zimbabwe.

* First comprehensive look at commercial bank experience in microfinance

* Shows commercial opportunities for banks in a new market

* Worldwide case studies and applicability

This book shows commercial bankers that they can profitably provide microfinance services to the poor. It illustrates, through the experience of particular banks, why banks have become involved and how they have made a success of their involvement.

The eighteen case studies all show that banks can earn good profits at the same time as serving the needs of people who previously lacked access to financial services.

The authors also demonstrate to foreign aid donors, policy makers, NGO staff and microfinance practitioners that it is often quicker, less expensive and more effective for microfinance services to be provided by commercial banks than by specialist microfinance institutions

Countries covered -- Bangladesh, Benin, Ecuador, Egypt, George, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Zimbabwe.

Malcolm Harper taught at Cranfield School of Management until 1995, and since then has worked mainly in India. He has published on enterprise development and microfinance. He was Chairman of Basix Finance from 1996 until 2006, and is Chairman of M-CRIL, the microfi nance credit ratingagency and business development, and author of numerous books and articles. He is the co-editor of What's Wrong with Microfinance? (Practical Action, 2007).

Sukhwinder Singh Arora is Senior Consultant, Financial and Private Sector Development, Oxford Policy Management Ltd, Oxford.