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A Global Ratings Methodology For Microfinance Institutions May Help The Industry
Primary Credit Analyst: Jane Eddy, New York (1) 212-438-7996; jane_eddy@standardandpoors.com Contributor: Nelun Wijeyeratne, Microfinance Project Manager 1 (212) 438-3615; nelun_wijeyeratne@standardandpoors.com
Table Of Contents
MFI Ratings Methodology Developed And Refined The Pilot Program Seeks To Promote Transparency And Disclosure Of MFIs The Liquidity Crunch Might Lead To A Stronger Microfinance Industry Note
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A Global Ratings Methodology For Microfinance Institutions May Help The Industry
Interest in the microfinance industry has soared as participants gain a better understanding of the potential for microfinance institutions (MFI) to alter lives and economies. The primary business of these organizations is providing small loans and financial services to low income and/or financially underserved clients. The rapid expansion of MFIs, and the ongoing interest of mainstream investors--even in the current financial crisis--confirm our belief that microfinance is on the path to becoming an emerging market asset class. To achieve this potential, in our opinion, the industry must continue to widen and mobilize the investor base, especially given the current market turmoil, while expanding the universe of effective and sustainable MFIs. As a key first step to meet this challenge, industry constituents have recognized the need to create globally accepted metrics. These metrics could have the potential to provide investors with transparent and globally acceptable standards for credit analysis and performance evaluations, as well as enable comparisons of microfinance investment opportunities within and across borders and with other types of investment opportunities. In our view, the current financial crisis has made the need for transparency and industry benchmarks even more relevant to the microfinance sector as it faces new challenges.
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A Global Ratings Methodology For Microfinance Institutions May Help The Industry Capitalization. We are validating the robustness of these criteria through a pilot program. Once the ratings are complete, our analysts will present the revised criteria to our Analytics Policy Board for approval, a required step before the publication of any Standard & Poor's criteria. This approval is part of our standard internal procedures and independent review process to finalize any new credit ratings criteria. Once we finalize our microfinance rating criteria, we will publish and disseminate it. We expect to complete this work by mid-2009. Currently, we follow our financial institutions criteria to rate MFIs.
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A Global Ratings Methodology For Microfinance Institutions May Help The Industry
Line." In our view, the evolution and performance of the microfinance industry over the past 30 years has been impressive. However, this success brings with it a myriad of challenges. Discussions with industry leaders show that significant risks exist, including management quality and staffing of MFIs, as well as their governance, technological expertise, and ability to effectively manage growth while maintaining a commitment to their original mission. As many MFIs continue to transform from not-for-profit entities to for-profit banks, these risks may be exacerbated. Effectively managing and mitigating them will be instrumental to expanding the industry. Therefore, the impetus to attract global capital needs to be tempered by prudent codes of conduct and globally recognized standards. We're continuing to expand our role in the global microfinance market by contributing to the development of globally recognized standards. Most recently, we have provided global ratings in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia, and continue to receive inquiries for ratings in the Latin American and Caribbean and other regions. Our transaction pipeline includes a number of requests for ratings on microfinance securitizations. Many of the transactions are delayed, however, pending improved market conditions. If they are completed, we believe that these transactions will go a long way toward developing primary and secondary markets for the microfinance sector.
Note
"Microfinance: Taking Root In The Global Capital Markets," published by Standard & Poor's in June 2007, contains the complete results of the Microfinance Rating Methodology Working Group. Two major portions are available on RatingsDirect. See: "Report Of The Microfinance Rating Methodology Working Group" and "MFI Rating Methodology," both published on June 19, 2007.
Additional Contact: Andrea M Esposito, New York (1) 212-438-6520; andrea_esposito@standardandpoors.com
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