• home
• about us
• areas of activity
• training workshops
• events
• resources
• online store
• links
• contact us
• director's workbench
• staff portal

Microfinance and Financial Inclusion

FDC has won recognition as a world leader in microfinance through more than a decade of action research, advocacy and training in the many aspects of microfinance development in Asia and the Pacific regions.

Since 1991, FDC's microfinance program has aimed to explore, demonstrate and publicise the scope to improve access of the poor to microcredit, saving services and other financial services on a sound commercial basis. This extensive program has involved research in many countries in Asia and the Pacific and focused on different aspects of microfinance and financial inclusion.

FDC offers particular services in the area of microfinance:

• Support and administer microfinance networks, for instance:
  • Maintain two active microfinance networks in Asia and the Pacific. These networks, The Banking with the Poor Network (BWTP) in Asia and Microfinance Pasifika in the Pacific, work by drawing together a variety of microfinance stakeholder institutions (such as commercial and central banks, microfinance institutions (MFIs) and apex institutions) from within each region to create a unique platform for cooperation and peer learning. The objectives of both networks are to assist in the improvement in the quality and scope of financial services provided to the poor.
  • Contribute to institutional strengthening activities by producing a range of capacity building tools, conducting high quality technical assistance (e.g. through workshops and technical exchange), providing operational support, and support for peer learning opportunities. This also includes empowering the members of BWTP and supporting an increased outreach of financial services for the poor by disseminating innovative and best practices and a range of country profiles, produced by the BWTP Network, in a one-stop learning and information-sharing platform.
  • Organise multiple workshops, seminars and conferences, on microfinance and network related topics, to enable broader outreach and information dissemination, and to improve efficiency and sustainability of activities.


• Provide consulting and advisory services such as, project design, monitoring and evaluation, impact assessment, MFI performance review and institutional development.
  
  
• Conduct extensive research (e.g. action research, policy analysis and development) and produce various microfinance publications (e.g. briefing notes, papers, training manuals, case studies, etc) in relation to remittances, disaster risk management, ICT4D, market linkages, health, policy and regulatory framework, etc.
  
  
• Support communication and advocacy across government, academic, international and intranational agency and community contexts.
  
  
• Create successful, long-term and innovative partnerships by:
  
  • Researching and exploring formal and informal financial sectors linkages and the transaction costs of lending to the poor through groups vs. individuals.
    
  • Designing curriculum and capacity building materials and conducting appropriate workshop and training activities to foster
    the financial links between microfinance stakeholders in order to increase outreach, create strategic partnerships between formal and informal banking sectors and raise the quality of microfinance services.
    
  • Engaging in increasing the impact of microfinance by supporting and promoting innovative new business models and partnership development through forums and seminars which bring together potential partners such as international and regional experts from MFIs and providers, central and commercial banks, NGOs, and academia.
    
    
• Stimulate community and private sector participation in the microfinance sector with a number of grass-roots, inclusive and participatory initiatives.