Microfinance - a new type of investment for socially oriented clients

Approaches and investment strategies that are committed to sustainability have been steadily growing in importance. They are finding increasing interest with institutional investors as well as with private investors. The topic of microfinance as a financial investment in particular has experienced a real boom in recent years. The origins of microfinance lie amongst other things in a philanthropic movement whose aim was to provide credit aid to economically active people in poverty. Over the years, the start volume grew very rapidly and produced a new market segment which allowed micro-enterprises official access to financial services. In accordance with this rapid growth and the transformation of the microfinance sector, the market and especially the participants have become subject to significant structural changes. Against the backdrop of these developmental trends, this book is intended as a contribution towards providing an economic perspective of the market, its participants and aspects of risk.