A comparative review of major types of rural microfinance institutions in developing countries

This paper describes different types of rural microfinance institutions, and examines their comparative advantages as well as related challenges to and strategies for deepening rural financial systems. The focus is not about which type of institution is better or worse for a particular target clientele in a particular operating environment. Instead, one of the major recommendations of this study is that there is no blueprint for rural microfinance. Institutional diversity is desired to enhance competition, depth and breadth of outreach, and welfare impact.