microfinance

Mobile connectivity improves access to land, enabling individuals to use land titles as collateral for bank credit and invest in construction.

Evidence from a range of contexts has shown that while microfinance does not have transformative impacts on lifting people out of poverty, it can greatly benefit specific borrowers such as experienced entrepreneurs.

Evidence from a large-scale trial in Bangladesh shows that improving credit access in rural areas helped farmers adapt to flood risks without negative spillovers, and was profitable for microfinance institutions.

Offering loans with flexible repayment schedules can improve outcomes for vulnerable borrowers while also reducing the risks faced by lending institutions

Disbursing microfinance loans through mobile money accounts empowers female entrepreneurs to resist pressure to share loans with others

By allowing risk sharing, joint-liability lending can foster entrepreneurship among microcredit borrowers

The introduction of financial institutions in communities may generate long-lasting externalities, including losses in informal social linkages

Microfinance has potentially transformative impacts for some entrepreneurs, especially those who otherwise would be stuck in a poverty trap