The New Middlewomen: Profitable banking through on-lending groups

About the Author Malcolm Harper is an emeritus professor of Cranfield University; he is an independent researcher, writer and teacher who works mainly in India. He has published on enterprise development and microfinance. He was Chairman of Basix Finance from 1996 until 2006, and is Chairman of M-CRIL, the microfinance credit rating agency and business development, and author of numerous books and articles. He is the co-editor of What's Wrong with Microfinance? (Practical Action, 2007).D. S. K. Rao is the Regional Organizer for Asia-Pacifi c, Microcredit Summit Campaign. He has 22 years’ experience in rural development banking with NABARD, the apex development financial institution in India. He has published extensively on farmer management of irrigation and self-help groups for the socio-economic empowerment of poor women. Product Description The New Middlewomen describes a unique approach to the delivery of financial services to poor people, which can enable any existing commercial bank profitably to mobilize poor people's savings and provide loans to them, without the need for special systems or new institutions. The New Middlewomen is the result of extensive research funded by the British Department for International Development and the Ford Foundation in Kenya and India and will be essential reading for bankers who wish to support the poor profitably and effectively, and all those with an interest in microfinance issues.