All Publications
Designing Credit Products to Support Women’s Economic Activity: Synthesis of Recent Literature
This evidence synthesis examines a range of studies published to examine the impact of financial innovations that have addressed barriers women face in accessing and using credit for productive purposes.
Tackling Credit Fairness and Missed Business Opportunities with Reject Inference
“Reject inference” techniques help financial institutions to increase their credit portfolio profitability by improving the accuracy of their approval mechanisms, with implications for offering credit to women who would otherwise be unable to access it.
Understanding Users’ Experience With Digital Lending Applications in India
This slide deck shares the results of a survey conducted by MSC and FACE to analyze user knowledge and behavior regarding digital lending applications (DLAs) and digital loans.
Women and Equitable Growth in a Resource-Constrained World
This paper addresses the need to reform the international development finance architecture in ways that expand access to affordable credit for women entrepreneurs in the Global South, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Al-Amal Microfinance Bank's Micro-Letters of Guarantee (Micro-LGs)
This paper describes the development of microfinance in Yemen and the role of Al-Amal Bank in the sector over the past 15 years, then introduces the concept of micro letters of guarantee, which Al-Amal Bank launched in 2020.
Increasing Access to Formal Financial Services
This learning brief describes three models that USAID-funded Feed the Future Rural Resilience Activity utilized to provide formal financial services, in particular credit and savings, to previously excluded populations in Northeast Nigeria.
Land Titling and Microcredit in Cambodia
This paper explores the neoliberal-oriented theory of change based on the possession and use of private individual land titles by the poor. The theory is tested in Cambodia, where the development of the microcredit sector has been facilitated by the extensive use of land titles as collateral.
Women and Credit: Access to Credit for Micro and Small Female Entrepreneurs, Including Collective Enterprises in India
This report delves into micro and small women entrepreneurs’ credit journey exploring demand and supply-side factors and provides key recommendations to enhance access to credit for women entrepreneurs.
The Role of Catalytic Capital in Digital Markets: Successes, Pitfalls, and Lessons Learned
This report focuses on the role of catalytic capital in the digital credit industry and highlights the limitations of a framework that does not consider broader market-level consequences of such investments.