microfinance
noun
mi·cro·fi·nance
ˌmī-krō-ˈfī-ˌnan(t)s 
-fə-ˈnan(t)s,
-fī-ˈnan(t)s
: financial services especially in the form of microloans provided to impoverished individuals and groups in poor and developing regions
Muhammad Yunus starts lending money to the rural poor in Bangladesh. His Grameen Bank kicks off a worldwide movement in microfinance as lenders start to see poor people, especially women, not as bad credit risks but as profitable customers.—
Barbara Kiviat
Barbara KiviatExamples of microfinance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These charities have missions that may include supporting social enterprises, microfinance, or community development, and returns generated by the organization’s work may be recycled to enable new investment.
—Karla D’alleva Valas, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Kuldip Maity, founder of Indian microfinance entity VFS Capital, says chatbots and virtual assistants can help people make informed financial decisions, manage their expenses, and improve financial literacy.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024
In early-modern Europe, the Medicis and other potentates created what were the microfinance schemes of their time, lending small sums of money to poor citizens.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
Indian microfinance industry, which serves 70 million borrowers across India.
—Anu Raghunathan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Third, through the IFC, the World Bank has extended financing to the private sector, especially to small and medium-sized businesses and microfinance institutions.
—Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2012
Robert Christen, for example, also directs an international institute in microfinance.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2022
Social identity was a key part of what made both crypto and microfinance work.
—Antara Haldar, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2022
Great research is being done by professors on both sides of the house—not only in the social sciences, but within the management and policy programs, in fields like microfinance, national security, nonprofit management, and public finance.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2022
Karla D’alleva Valas, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Kuldip Maity, founder of Indian microfinance entity VFS Capital, says chatbots and virtual assistants can help people make informed financial decisions, manage their expenses, and improve financial literacy.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024
In early-modern Europe, the Medicis and other potentates created what were the microfinance schemes of their time, lending small sums of money to poor citizens.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
Indian microfinance industry, which serves 70 million borrowers across India.
—Anu Raghunathan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Third, through the IFC, the World Bank has extended financing to the private sector, especially to small and medium-sized businesses and microfinance institutions.
—Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2012
Robert Christen, for example, also directs an international institute in microfinance.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2022
Social identity was a key part of what made both crypto and microfinance work.
—Antara Haldar, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2022
Great research is being done by professors on both sides of the house—not only in the social sciences, but within the management and policy programs, in fields like microfinance, national security, nonprofit management, and public finance.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microfinance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Microfinance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microfinance. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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