Benchmark-Final-2, August

Benchmarking Arab Microfinance 2004Microfinance information eXchangeTable of Contents A report from the MicrofinanceInformation eXchange2 In BriefThe microfinance sector in the Arab region continues to2 Overview of Benchmarking and evolve and grow while remaining resolutely focused onAnalysisserving a single market segment: the low end. Institutionsin the region are slowly catching up with global norms of3 Analysis scale and outreach, but they already lead the pack indepth of outreach. The sector also continues on parallel3 Outreach tracks, increasingly further apart. While the sector as awhole slowly increases outreach and makes measured5 Financial Structure steps to greater profitability, a handful of large institutionscontinue to their lightening fast growth to maintain and6 Profitability and Sustainability build on their preponderant market share. With largeefficient bases, these MFI have already lowered interest8 Efficiency and Productivity rates, passing some of their efficiency gains to clients.How well do Arab MFIs perform when compared to9 Portfolio Qualitytheir global peers? What are their strengths? Whatdifferences exist across countries? How does performance10 Arab Benchmarksvary across institutions? What challenges lie ahead for thesector, and how well prepared are institutions to face13 Comparative Regionalthem?BenchmarksThis report addresses these questions by examining the16 Conclusion performance of the Arab ...