Abstract

Is it possible for microfinance institutions to simultaneously pursue profits and poverty reduction? This study explores this question by analyzing the impact of Khushhali Bank, the largest retail microfinance bank in Pakistan. Khushhali Bank has shown that it can scale up outreach while remaining focused on the core goals of operational and financial sustainability. Using primary data collected from over 2,000 rural and urban households across Pakistan, the study examines whether the bank also had an impact on economic or social measures of poverty, including empowerment of poor women, or income generating activities run by those households. The poorest of the poor - those subsisting on less than half the official poverty line - are demonstrated to have benefitted the most from the program.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.