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Microfinance

June 2007 • Volume 8 Number 2
The quarterly newsletter of the Focal Point for Microfinance at ADB aims to provide information on microfinance. Articles in the newsletter, however, do not necessarily reflect official ADB views. Articles may be reprinted with proper acknowledgement of the source. Please address any inquiries, comments, and suggestions concerning the newsletter or its content to the Focal Point for Microfinance; Office of Director General; East Asia Department. Asian Development Bank, 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines. Tel +63 2 632 6931 • Fax +63 2 636 2337 • E-mail: nfernando@adb.org.
In this publication, $ refers to US dollar.
Microinsurance Lessons
for Microfinance Institutions 1
The Next 4 Billion: Making the BOP Real, With Numbers 12
Selected Publications on
Microfinance 23
IN THIS ISSUE
Microinsurance has gotten significant attention recently. This year alone, three major conferences, not to mention several other smaller events, are solely dedicated to the topic.1 In recent months, insurance services for the poor have been highlighted on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Part of the interest can be attributed to the wave of microfinance publicity that kicked off with the United Nations Year of Microcredit in 2005, followed by the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Dr. Yunus and the Grameen Bank in 2006. Microinsurance is cresting on this wave as practitioners, support organizations, and the media are investigating other financial services that might be in demand by low-income persons.
Another reason for the emerging interest in microinsurance is that it appeals to a divergent cross section of disciplines. Ad-hoc work on microinsurance really began in the late 1990s from two different perspectives. On the one hand, some microfinance institutions (MFIs) were experimenting with insurance coverage to protect themselves and families of their clients in the event of borrower...