This research was published more than 5 years ago, some information may be out of date.

A study from The Economist Intelligence Unit, publisher of The Economist magazine reports that microfinance is increasingly gaining global recognition as a viable business model, whereby technology in particular is allowing for growth in lending and other financial services for the world's low-income microentrepreneurs. The report covers the microfinance sector in 54 countries comparing them across three categories: regulatory framework, institutional development and investment climate.