Book

Microfinance was once hailed as a ladder out of poverty—a small loan with the power to transform lives, empower communities, and narrow inequality. Yet decades after its rapid expansion across the Global South, the promise of microfinance remains deeply contested. Microfinance at a Crossroads examines why an instrument designed to uplift the poor has so often stalled, leaving borrowers burdened rather than empowered.   Focusing on experiences from Latin America and Africa, this book moves beyond celebratory narratives to expose the structural weaknesses embedded within contemporary microfinance systems. High interest rates, debt cycles, inadequate regulation, and the commercialization of poverty have gradually shifted microfinance away from its original social mission. Instead of functioning as a bridge to economic independence, microcredit has, in many contexts, become a fragile rung—unable to support sustained upward mobility.   Through critical analysis and policy-oriented evaluation, this work challenges the assumption that access to credit alone can resolve deep-rooted inequality. It argues that without institutional reform, financial literacy, borrower protection, and integration with broader development policies, microfinance risks reinforcing the very disparities it sought to eliminate.   Microfinance at a Crossroads offers a balanced yet firm call for reform. By re-centering ethics, accountability, and long-term development outcomes, the book outlines pathways through which microfinance can reclaim its original purpose—not as a miracle solution, but as a meaningful component of inclusive economic progress.