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1. Building a Viable Microfinance Sector in Afghanistan

Author:
Paula Kantor and Erna Andersen
Publication Date:
01-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
Abstract:
AREU research on the impact of microcredit on informal credit systems and rural livelihoods illustrated the viability challenges microfinance institutions (MFIs) and their clients were facing. This briefing paper examines the changes the microfinance sector is undertaking, such as the introduction of more reliable business plans, creating internal audit units to improve control systems and reduce opportunities for fraud, and institutionalising an MFI report card system, to improve performance.
Topic:
Finance, Business, Microcredit, and Credit
Political Geography:
Afghanistan and Middle East

2. From Access to Impact: Microcredit and Rural Livelihoods in Afghanistan

Author:
Paula Kantor
Publication Date:
07-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
Abstract:
Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan have prioritised access to and delivery of microcredit to stabilise livelihoods. Since 2003, over US$569 million in microcredit loans have been delivered to over 440,000 urban and rural clients. This paper from AREU examines the effect that the availability of microcredit has had on existing informal credit systems and on livelihoods in rural Afghanistan.
Topic:
Microcredit, Rural, Credit, Banking, and Loans
Political Geography:
Afghanistan and Middle East

3. Finding the Money: Informal Credit Practices in Rural Afghanistan

Author:
Floortje Klijin and Adam Pain
Publication Date:
06-2007
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
Abstract:
It is widely believed that there is a strong demand for credit in Afghanistan and that much of this demand is unmet, justifying a major programme in microcredit provision. But there is very little understanding of the extent and the workings of informal credit systems, particularly outside opium poppy growing areas. Is there such an absence of credit available to poor rural households as is assumed? Do microfinance and informal credit respond to the same needs? Is informal credit simply the same thing as formal credit, except that it takes place outside formal institutions? And if there is more informal credit available than is believed, what does this mean for the development and role of formal credit systems? These key questions informed a detailed anthropological study of informal credit practices in three contrasting villages in Herat, Ghor and Kapisa. Drawing from a detailed presentation of eight households case studies, and amplified with addition case material, a number of key conclusions can be drawn from the findings.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Monetary Policy, Microcredit, Rural, Money, Demand, and Credit
Political Geography:
Afghanistan and South Asia