The Story of the Grameen Bank: From Subsidised Microcredit to Market-Based Microfinance
11 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2008
Date Written: November 1, 2008
Abstract
This paper looks at the establishment and evolution of the iconic Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. It traces the development of the Bank from its origins, providing microcredit to poor, rural women in Bangladesh, through a period of national expansion and institutionalisation, to the replication around the world of the Grameen model. In the late 1990s the Bank faced repayment problems and a developing financial crisis, and strategies were put in place to stabilise and reshape the Bank. This led in 2001 to the launch of Grameen II, which is analysed in terms of its main components and its results. Finally, the paper looks at Grameen Bank's future role as a major player in the microfinance market, and as an inspiration for those helping poor people improve their own lives.
Keywords: Microfinance, Bangladesh
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