Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Microfinance

Today we read about microfinance and small business development. Microfinance is a form of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to banking and related services. In other words, it is the supply of money to the poor- normally in the form of small loans.  There are two main mechanisms dealing with the delivery of financial services. They are relationship-based banking for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses; and group-based models.  One category of microfinance is micro-credit. Microcredit is provision of credit services to poor clients- these are small loans. It is the provision of being able to loan other people money. It is mainly focused on women because there seventy percent of those suffering from poverty are women.  One concern with microfinance is that they will start to drift over to people who don’t need it, so it is critical for them to stay helping the people who are in critical condition. Five hundred million people living in poverty could benefit from a small business loan and only one third of the population has access to a nearby bank. The purpose of the microcredit is to help the poor person do something so that they can better themselves and become self-employed. Hopefully they can make a profit and eventually repay the loan. 


 

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