A Promise to Pay the Bearer: An Exploration of the Potential for Urban Microfinance in India

This study attempts to understand the complex issues afflicting urban poverty and how access to financial services may act as a key enabler to address these challenges. It assesses the needs of the urban poor for financial services and suggests potential investments that might help build the sector.The study comprises the following sections:

• Urbanization, poverty, and microfinance in India – studies urbanization trends and the interrelationship between poverty, urbanization and rural migration, how financial services access can address these challenges and urbanization role in development discourse;
• Supply side - outlines the experiences and views of practitioners in urban microfinance;
• Findings of the primary study - covers indebtedness in urban areas, demand for loans and other financial services and effective communication methods;
• Project demand for microfinance in India;
• Urban microfinance - provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities that each actor in urban microfinance might take up in order to assist the sector in achieving its market potential and contributing towards poverty alleviation.