Traditionally, when a person wants to start a business venture, they go to a bank for a loan. But what should a budding entrepreneur do if he is too poor to obtain financing to start a profitable business? The answer lies in a relatively new branch of financial services called microfinance. Its purpose is to provide basic financial services such as loans, savings and insurance to underprivileged people. A microfinance institution (MFI) is simply one that offers such services to the poor; according to the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), it can be a credit union, commercial bank, financial non-governmental organization, or a credit cooperative. Following is a list of the main purposes of microfinance.

Provide Access to Funds

Typically, the poor acquire financial services like loans through informal relationships. These loans, however, come at a high cost per dollar loaned and can be unreliable. Furthermore, banks have not traditionally viewed poor people as viable clients and often will reject them due to unstable credit or employment history and lack of collateral. MFIs dismiss such requirements and provide small loans at high interest rates, thus providing MFIs the funds they need to continue operation.

Encourage Entrepreneurship and Self-Sufficiency

Underprivileged people may have potentially profitable business ideas, but they cannot put them into action because they lack sufficient capital for start-up costs. Microcredit loans give clients just enough money to get their idea off the ground so they can begin turning a profit. They can then pay off their micro-loan and continue to gain income from their venture indefinitely.

Manage Risk

Microcredit can give impoverished people enough financial stability to cross from simply surviving to accruing savings. This gives them protection from sudden financial problems that could have been devastating. Savings also allow for educational investment, improved nutrition, better living conditions and reduced illness. Microinsurance provides people the ability to pay for health care when needed, so they can receive treatment for health conditions before they become grave and more costly to treat.

Empower Women

Women make up a large proportion of microfinance beneficiaries. Traditionally, women (especially those in underdeveloped countries) have been unable to readily participate in economic activity. Microfinance provides women with the financial backing they need to start business ventures and actively participate in the economy. It gives them confidence, improves their status and makes them more active in decision-making, thus encouraging gender equality. According to CGAP, long-standing MFIs even report a decline in violence towards women since the inception of microfinance.

Community-Wide Benefits

Generally speaking, microfinance institutions seek to reduce poverty worldwide. As they obtain funds and services from MFIs, recipients gain enormous financial benefits which trickle down to others in their families and communities. New business ventures can provide jobs, thereby increasing income among community members and improving their overall well-being. Microfinance services gives hope to people who previously had little or no opportunity to be self-sufficient.