Field Diaries
Writing from 30 years at the frontier of development finance — credit guarantee schemes, MSME access to finance, and the people behind the businesses.
Minimize Risk: Finance MSMEs
Even as excessive levels of competition erode interest rate spreads, financial institutions continue to flock to what they...
MSMEs: Always All In!
When an MSME reaches out to financial institutions for a loan to grow their business, the financial institution...
A Low Hanging Fruit: Quick Wins in Energy Efficiency
I was recently thinking about the opportunity I had taken up to participate in a walk-through energy audit...
Interest Rate Caps: A Tool for Financial Exclusion?
When MSMEs are asked what they think of interest rates, it is not surprising that they find it...
Hardcore Overdraft is like a Debt Addiction
Not many people, not even many bankers, have heard the term hardcore overdraft, but it is a thing....
Could Agent Banking be the Silver Bullet for Financial Inclusion in Bangladesh?
In Bangladesh, the sixth-largest country in terms of population, more than 63 million people live below the poverty...
Pump Up The MFS Volume: Mandate Interoperability Now!
Mobile Financial Services (MFS) is fairly active in Bangladesh but the cost of transactions and the level of...
Financing the Chors (River Islands) of Bangladesh
This is a follow up to a previous note, The Chors (River Islands) of Bangladesh: A Real Challenge...