• Borrowers use the money to buy tools, equipment, etc. (Bamboo to make stools, yarn to
weave into cloth, or cows to produce milk.)
• The recipients are poor people who ordinarily are not able to qualify for banking
services.
• Typically, the loans are less than $100, often as little as $12.
• Microfinancing was started by the Grameen (means village) Bank founded by economist
Muhammad Yanus in Bangladesh.
• In the midst of famine in 1976, he lent $27 to a group of villagers asked him for help. It
was a starting point.
Figure 7: Professor Yanus talk with some of Grameen Bank's borrower
Figure 8: Microloans helped this small textile business in Bangladesh
Figure 9: Professor Muhammad Yanus, a founder of the Grameen Bank
• The Grameen Bank has now extended credit to nearly 7 million people.
• The idea has spread, and has been supported by multinational organizations such as IMF
or profit banks like Citigroup.
• In total, it is estimated that microfinancing has reached to 60 million people in the world
by 2007.
• It is said that 90% of the recipients of microcredit are women.
• Women’s economic status is found to be strongly related to the well-being of their
children, and the key to a healthy household environment.
• For these contributions to society, the UN proclaimed the international Year of
Microcredit in 2005.
• Furthermore, Mr. Muhammad Yanus was awarded the Novel Peace Prize in 2006.