Credit unions and rural banks reaching down and out to the rural poor through group-based microfinance

Christopher Dunford · 2009 · Enterprise Development and Microfinance

Summary. Credit unions and rural banks in West Africa, Ecuador, Madagascar, and the Philippines successfully deliver microfinance to poor rural populations by adopting group-based village banking models. This approach costs less than building new microfinance institutions from scratch and reaches extremely poor women in remote areas. While individual credit unions and rural banks are fragile, spreading risk across many small institutions creates a sustainable system.

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Dunford, C.. (2009). Credit unions and rural banks reaching down and out to the rural poor through group-based microfinance. Enterprise Development and Microfinance. https://doi.org/10.3362/1755-1986.2009.012

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  title   = {Credit unions and rural banks reaching down and out to the rural poor through group-based microfinance},
  author  = {Christopher Dunford},
  journal = {Enterprise Development and Microfinance},
  year    = {2009},
  doi     = {10.3362/1755-1986.2009.012},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3362/1755-1986.2009.012}
}

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Details

DOI: 10.3362/1755-1986.2009.012
Countries: Ghana, Ecuador, Madagascar, Philippines, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo
Regions: Africa, South America, Asia
Categories: funding, entrepreneurship
Added: 2026-04-28