MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Peru as a Model for Microfinance Regulation; M-Pesa Mobile Banking E-book; and Geographic Analysis of Thai Enterprise

“Research Insight: Peru – Model Market for Microfinance;” by Christian Etzensperger; published by responsAbility Social Investments; March 2012; 9 pages; available at: www.responsability.com/domains/responsability_ch/data/free_docs/Research_Insight_Acces_to_Finance_in_Peru_EN.pdf

The author analyzes financial sector development in Peru, seeing its regulation and supervision of the sector as a model for other countries. Peru’s microfinance sector includes 40 regulated local banks, serves 3.5 million poor households, and has remained profitable while interest rates have fallen. The growth of microfinance has been accompanied by falls in poverty and income inequality.

“Money, Real Quick: The story of M-PESA;” by Tonny K Omwansa, Nicholas P Sullivan, and The Guardian; published by The Guardian; February 2012; number of pages unavailable; available at http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B007FPP7NI

This e-book discusses the transformation in banking in Kenya caused by M-Pesa mobile money. About 70 percent of the population, or about 19 million people, signed up for mobile money services in five years, and now about 60 percent of all financial transactions in the country go through M-Pesa. Mobile money has been important to rural financial inclusion and is a significant alternative to cash in a country where very few people use credit cards.

“The Geographic Concentration of Enterprise in Developing Countries;” by John S Felkner and Robert M Townsend; published by the Quarterly Journal of Economics; January 2011; 66 pages; available at: http://www.cfsp.org/publications/paper/geographic-concentration-enterprise-developing-countries?utm_source=CFSP+Research+Update+Spring+2012&utm_campaign=Spring+2012+Newsletter&utm_medium=email

This paper considers geographic inequalities and market access in Thailand, using spatial data from 1986 to 1996 to look at the heterogeneity of economic activity across the country. Results showed that enterprises were largely clustered around Bangkok, the capital, or around major transportation roadways. Many regions outside these areas have experienced little economic growth. Key elements of the model used in this paper include costs, credit constraints on occupation choice, and the spatially uneven expansion of financial service providers.

By Natalie Baer, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources:

“Research Insight: Peru – Model Market for Microfinance” www.responsability.com/domains/responsability_ch/data/free_docs/Research_Insight_Acces_to_Finance_in_Peru_EN.pdf

“Money, Real Quick: The story of M-PESA” http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B007FPP7NI

“The Geographic Concentration of Enterprise in Developing Countries” http://www.cfsp.org/publications/paper/geographic-concentration-enterprise-developing-countries?utm_source=CFSP+Research+Update+Spring+2012&utm_campaign=Spring+2012+Newsletter&utm_medium=email

MicroCapital story, March 12, 2012, “MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Snapshot, Eliminating Entry Barriers in Brazil, and Savings Commitments in Malawi” https://www.microcapital.org/microfinance-publication-round-up-sub-saharan-africa-regional-snapshot-eliminating-entry-barriers-in-brazil-and-savings-commitments-in-malawi/

MicroCapital story, March 6, 2012, “MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Geographies of Need and Microfinance Providers in Nigeria, Role of Government in Financial Inclusion, Mobile Money Service and Poverty Reduction in Kenya”
https://www.microcapital.org/microfinance-publication-round-up-geographies-of-need-and-microfinance-providers-in-nigeria-role-of-government-in-financial-inclusion-mobile-money-service-and-poverty-reduction-in-kenya/

Browse the MicroCapital Universe and add your entry to the wiki at: https://www.microcapital.org/microfinanceuniverse/

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