MIX releases new dataset on MFI funding structure
As the impacts of the global financial and economic crises unfold within the microfinance industry, it is becoming increasingly important to know more about the underlying financing of MFIs. The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) has released new Funding Structure Data that provides this information, allowing MIX Market users to answer questions such as:
How important is cross-border funding in underwriting Bosnia microcredit growth?Which countries rely most heavily on bank financing?Are there significant price discrepancies between development- and commercially-oriented players lending to MFIs in mature markets, like Latin America?
MIX Funding Structure Data is a unique resource to the industry thanks to its size (covering over 13,000 outstanding obligations and 15 billion USD outstanding debt), scope (first dataset to cover the entire range of debt funding for MFIs, including local and foreign sources), and geographic coverage (86 countries and 890 MFIs, representing over 90% of all borrowers).
MIX Market users can now explore the funding landscape of various markets, including the types of lenders, amounts outstanding, and costs and terms of loans. Built on data on individual loan transactions between MFIs and their lenders, MIX Funding Structure Data offers users the ability to aggregate information by country, region, and MFI charter type to increase understanding of the nature of both local and foreign funding sources for the microfinance industry. The release of these data on MIX Market represents an important step in improving transparency in the microfinance industry.
Aggregate analysis of funding structure data has been presented in a number of MIX publications, including MBB Bulletin Highlights, Issue 18 (p.24), 2009 Eastern Europe Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report (p.17), 2009 Latin America and the Caribbean Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report (p.8), and Data Brief No.6: Microfinance Funders Profiles.
