How-to Guide: Introducing Individual Lending

This guide aims to provide MFIs with a detailed understanding of the process of introducing individual lending. It has the following features:

• Helps MFIs introduce individual lending, helps keep track of the process and provides them with best practice and case examples;
• Its content has been developed using Womens World Bankings (WWBs) global experience in introducing individual lending to MFIs.

It is divided into 6 key sections, each describing a separate phase of the process. They are:

• Introduction: Helps an MFI decide if it has met the requirements to introduce individual lending;
• Phase 1 planning: Assists in conducting market, competitor and customer research and planning the introduction of individual lending;
• Phase 2 A product and process design: Elaborates on how to conduct more detailed market and customer research and build that into designing products and processes;
• Phase 2 B pilot test: Deals with the carrying out and evaluating of the pilot test;
• Phase 3 roll out and implementation: Shows how to apply lessons learned from the pilot and roll out individual lending across branches;
• Phase 4 monitoring and evaluation: Details how to evaluate the success of individual lending and build a long-term vision around the development of the product.

The guide concludes by listing key points that an MFI should take into consideration while introducing individual lending.