2006 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report - English
Microfinance in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) continued its slow yet steady growth in 2006, with loan balances ever increasing and regulated financial institutions, especially banks, playing larger roles. Much of the growth of microfinance in ECA has been funded by external sources, with most institutions unable to mobilize savings. In developed microfinance sectors, such as Bosnia, local financial markets have begun to replace donor support, but this has come with the challenges of higher costs and more rapid turnover of funds. However, the most developed and competitive microfinance sectors in the region have also seen the most rapid overall decreases in expenses and the strongest performance. The 2006 MBB benchmarks cover 126 institutions. A slightly larger set of about 170 institutions participate in the MIX Market. The MBB benchmark institutions cover 1.7M borrowers and 2.6M savers, while the set of over 170 MIX Market participants from the region covers only a marginally broader range of 1.8M borrowers and 2.7M savers.
