MicroRate’s 5th annual Survey of microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) measures the development of a relatively new category of funds and other intermediaries that mobilize investments in rich countries and channel them to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the developing world.
February 14, 2007
Role Reversal
The rapid growth of foreign private lending to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the last several years has led to a surprising reversal of roles between government-owned development institutions and private lenders. Development institutions (International Financial Institutions -“IFIs”1 ) are concentrating their loans in the strongest MFIs, leaving private lenders to look for opportunities among smaller, riskier borrowers. Development institutions are “crowding” private lenders out of the best MFIs.