Microfinance's promise was oversold, not broken Shahid Khandker June 25, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/microfinance-s-promise-was-oversold--not-broken The Wall Street Journal recently published a sobering account of microfinance's shortcomings, documenting troubling cases of over-indebtedness, land loss, and borrower distress in countries such as Cambodia. These stories deserve attention. Excessive lending, weak consumer protection, and commercialization without adequate safeguards can harm the very people financial inclusion is supposed to help.