The Small Firm Diaries is a global research initiative to better understand small firms in low-income neighborhoods of developing countries, especially the barriers to growth such firms face, through high frequency quantitative and qualitative data collection (“financial diaries”).

This working paper calls for reclaiming the power and value of subsidy to accomplish policy goals in order for the future of social investment in microfinance to be more effective.

This paper presents findings from a study to assess microfinance sector digitization, and shares valuable recommendations to prepare the sector for the potential digital divide ahead.

Evidence from field experiments in Bangladesh examining the gender gap in the adoption and usage of mobile banking

Findings from a survey of microenterprise owners, loan officers and regulators

Looking at how the microfinance industry is doing on providing savings services

Analyzing the mechanisms that make savings groups effective

Studying remittances to better understand their increasing role in economic development

Studying consumer lending as a tool to help the poor cope with their consumption financing needs

Do small and medium enterprises create more jobs for poor households than microenterprises?