Microfinance's Midlife Crisis

As the microfinance sector reaches maturity, the balance between social impact and financial return becomes a more important topic for discussion.

From original article:

There is little doubt that microfinance is now big money. In 2008 it attracted $14.8 billion in foreign capital, up 24% from the previous year. For the first time, the majority of the money came from private investors - including pension schemes and private-equity funds - rather than governments, according to the World Bank.

This deluge of private capital has freed many microfinance institutions from their reliance on donor funding. As a result some have switched from a not-for-profit strategy to a money-making business model. But there are concerns that such institutions are becoming distracted by the need to reward investors. Some microfinance banks have generated returns on equity of 50%; others have flooded the market with poorly structured debt.

Maya Prabhu, head of philanthropy at U.K. private bank Coutts & Co., who advises wealthy clients on investments in microfinance, says: "There's a definite risk of new shareholders switching microfinance institutions' mission from alleviating poverty to chasing volumes and profits."