Occasional Paper No. 5: Automating Microfinance: Experience from Latin America, Asia and Africa
By Anita Campion, Sahra S. Halperin - Published: 2001
New technologies are redefining financial services, and they present significant opportunities to microfinance institutions. Some microfinance institutions — even ones that serve the poorest clients — already use automated teller machine (ATM) networks, smart card operations, and credit scoring technology. This publication provides a broad view of innovative banking technologies that are relevant to MFIs, while keeping in mind various institutional cost structures and capabilities. The publication focuses most on forward-minded inventions and less on management information software. It is not a technical guide; rather, it is designed to inspire and motivate microfinance providers and support institutions to explore the benefits that technology can offer. By doing so, microfinance institutions can identify cost-effective ways to use technology to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction, which are becoming requirements of survival in an increasingly competitive microfinance industry.
