Gitnux/Report 2026

Microfinance Industry Statistics

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Microfinance Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The microfinance industry at a glance

The global microfinance market was valued at $255.69 billion in 2025, with Asia-Pacific accounting for 54.9% and digital finance expanding access to underserved borrowers.

$255.69B[96]
Global market size, 2025
11.0%[96]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2034
54.9%[96]
Asia-Pacific share, 2025
32M[79]
Borrowers represented, 2024
Market size
Fortune Business Insights estimates the global microfinance market at $255.69 billion in 2025, rising to $281.55 billion in 2026. Market-size estimates vary because some studies measure outstanding loan portfolios while others measure annual spending on microfinance services.[96]
Forecast & CAGR
The global market is forecast to reach $646.56 billion by 2034, representing an 11.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2034. A separate estimate from 360iResearch places the 2026 market at $248.16 billion and forecasts a 2026–2032 CAGR of 11.16%, illustrating differences in market definitions.[96][97]
Market share & regions
Asia-Pacific held 54.9% of the global microfinance market in 2025, making it the largest regional market. In the European Union, business-microcredit providers held a combined gross portfolio of approximately €3.5 billion and served about 330,000 active borrowers at the end of 2024.[96][98]
Segmentation
The industry is commonly segmented by provider—banks, microfinance institutions, non-bank financial companies and other lenders—by service type, including micro-credit, micro-savings and micro-insurance, and by end user, including individuals, small enterprises and micro-enterprises. The service mix is broadening beyond credit as digital platforms support savings, insurance and bundled financial products.[96][79]
Key players & concentration
Microfinance is fragmented globally, although individual countries can be highly concentrated. In Cambodia, the ten largest microfinance institutions accounted for about 90% of the market before the interest-rate cap was introduced, according to an IMF study. The 2024 Microfinance Index covered 126 financial-service providers across 45 countries, indicating a wide international provider base.[99][79]
Pricing
Pricing varies substantially by country, currency, borrower risk and delivery model. Cambodia’s 2024 average microfinance loan rates were 16.64% in Khmer riel and 14.25% in U.S. dollars, while an Envest survey of 20 microfinance institutions reported an average effective borrower rate of 39%, including interest and fees.[100][101]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Digital delivery, mobile payments, alternative credit scoring and demand from small businesses are supporting growth. IMF data show that between 2021 and 2025, mobile-money and mobile- and internet-banking transactions per adult more than doubled in emerging markets and more than tripled in low-income countries; key challenges include over-indebtedness, credit quality, consumer protection and regulatory tightening.[102][96]
Consumer behavior & competition
Women remain a core customer segment: 85% of group borrowers in the 2024 Microfinance Index were women. The Index surveyed more than 36,000 clients across 45 countries, while competition increasingly includes banks, non-bank lenders, digital platforms and mobile-money providers.[79][102]
M&A
A notable 2025 transaction was C-One Ventures Platform’s agreement to acquire the licences, technology and selected assets of Nigeria-based Bankly Microfinance Bank. Publicly available evidence is insufficient to quantify global microfinance M&A volume or industry-wide consolidation for 2025–2026.[103]
Regulation
India’s regulatory framework defines a microfinance loan as a collateral-free loan to a household with annual income up to ₹300,000 and requires lenders to assess household income and indebtedness. The Reserve Bank of India’s 2025 updated FAQ also confirms that the framework applies regardless of whether loans are processed or disbursed through physical or digital channels.[104]
Latest news
The IMF’s October 30, 2026 Financial Access Survey brief reported that non-bank financial institutions, including microfinance institutions, credit unions and cooperatives, held more loan accounts than banks in low-income countries by 2025. The IMF said its survey covered 196 economies, with 170 economies reporting data as of October 2026.[102]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Microfinance Industry

The leading companies in the microfinance industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Gentera leads Gitnux's 2026 microfinance ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, with MXN 272.75 billion disbursed to 4.6 million-plus clients in Mexico and Peru in 2025. BRAC is the runner-up at 9.4, driven by 6.95 million Bangladesh microfinance borrowers reported for FY2024.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in microfinance lending

    Gentera

    MX

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Microfinance lending

    Why we picked it: Its Mexico-and-Peru microfinance footprint ties large-scale disbursement to reported 22.9% revenue growth.

    See in ranking ↓Visit gentera.com.mx ↗

  2. #2 overall

    BRAC

    BD

    Ranked #2 · 9.4 · Microfinance lending

    Why we picked it: Its Bangladesh-focused borrower base at FY2024 scale anchors its microfinance operations and reporting.

    See in ranking ↓Visit brac.net ↗

  3. #3 overall

    ASA International

    GB

    Ranked #3 · 9.2 · Microfinance lending

    Why we picked it: Branch-delivered lending scale is explicit: 2,232 branches serving 2.8 million clients by end-2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit asa-international.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. No other segment places in the top 5, so picks 2 and 3 follow rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the microfinance industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Gentera

Microfinance lending · MX

9.6
2

BRAC

Microfinance lending · BD

9.4
3

ASA International

Microfinance lending · GB

9.2
4

BancoSol

Microfinance lending · BO

8.9
5

Compartamos Banco

Microfinance lending · MX

8.5
6

CreditAccess Grameen

Rural microfinance in India · IN

8.5
7

Grameen Bank

Collateral-free microfinance in Bangladesh · BD

8.3
8

FINCA Impact Finance

Community banking and microfinance globally · US

8.2
9

Banco de las Microfinanzas

Microfinance banking, Peru · PE

8.1
10

Grameen America

Microfinance lending, United States · US

7.8

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the microfinance industry. In Microfinance Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/microfinance-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

India microfinance gross loan portfolio of micro-lending institutions

India microfinance gross loan portfolio of micro-lending institutions grew from 94K INR crore in 2019 to 261K INR crore in 2024.

94.4K INR crore
Start
+22.58%
CAGR · 5y
261.2K INR crore
Projected
20192024
source-verifiedsa-dhan.net2024

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Alternative-credit fintech offerings show microfinance-adjacent mix: 46.7% of loans were personal loans in 2026. Across finance, integration and automation needs are emphasized by 84% saying front-, middle-, and back-office integration matters.

AI in the microfinance industry

  • 46.7% of loans offered by 448 mapped alternative-credit fintech firms were personal loans, a segment that includes microcredit products, in 2026.[1]
  • 27% of mapped North American alternative-credit fintech offerings were MSME or business loans in 2026.[1]
  • 31.9% of loans offered by 448 mapped alternative-credit fintech firms were MSME or business loans in 2026.[1]
  • 46% of mapped African alternative-credit fintech offerings were MSME or business loans in 2026.[1]
  • 60% of firms developing their own alternative credit scores offered scoring and lending software to financial partners in 2026.[1]
  • 48% of mapped South Asian alternative-credit fintech offerings were MSME or business loans in 2026.[1]

Automation in the microfinance industry

  • 54% of surveyed European MFIs identified funding support as important for digital transformation in 2023.[2]
  • 41% of surveyed European MFIs identified a digital strategy as important for digital transformation in 2023.[2]
  • 49% of responding European MFIs identified digital customer onboarding as a digitalization solution in 2023.[2]
  • 34% of surveyed European MFIs cited the cost of IT experts as a digital-transformation challenge in 2023.[2]
  • 61% of responding European MFIs identified credit scoring as a digitalization solution in 2023.[2]
  • 52% of responding European MFIs identified document-management systems as a digitalization solution in 2023.[2]

Digital Transformation in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 26% of financial services firms reported using agentic AI in 2026, according to a global digital-transformation study.[3]
  • 43% of financial services firms said they will need an entirely new technology stack to succeed in the age of AI.[3]
  • 84% of financial services firms said integrating front-, middle- and back-office systems into one platform is important in 2026.[3]
  • 27% of financial services firms reported financial benefits from AI in 2026, up from 14% in 2025.[3]
  • 80% of financial services firms reported active AI use in 2026, up from 31% in 2025.[3]

Technology Adoption in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of financial institutions recently adopted AI or improved their AI capabilities, based on a 2024 survey across 11 markets.[4]
  • 35% of financial institutions adopted or improved generative-AI capabilities during the 12 months covered by the 2024 survey.[4]
  • About one-third of financial services companies reported using generative AI by January 2025, compared with 21% a year earlier.[5]
  • 59% of finance leaders reported using AI in their finance function in 2025, according to Gartner’s survey of 183 senior finance leaders.[6]
  • 54% of surveyed financial services companies had deployed AI initiatives by January 2025, up from 40% one year earlier.[5]

Cloud Computing in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 33% of financial services firms were highly satisfied with cloud-related reductions in operational costs in Capgemini’s 2024 survey.[7]
  • 82% of financial services firms used a hybrid- or multi-cloud strategy in LSEG’s 2025 global survey.[8]
  • 87% of financial services firms increased cloud investment during the two years preceding LSEG’s 2025 global survey.[8]
  • 43% of banking and financial services organizations were moving toward a cloud-first analytics approach in the WNS-Forrester survey.[9]
  • 91% of financial organizations had at least one cloud platform in 2023, up from 37% in 2020.[7]

Big Data in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 18% of finance firms adopted big-data analytics in the OECD’s cross-country comparison; the European data refer to 2019.[10]
  • 11% of surveyed bank marketers were very confident in the accuracy of the data they regularly used in 2024.[11]
  • 37% of surveyed bank marketers said their bank was on the way to using data and analytics to support strategic goals in 2024.[11]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

India’s microfinance scale is quantified with 126.466 million active loans and ₹373,918 crore outstanding as of Sep 30, 2024. Data-model and governance emphasis appears in cross-industry measures such as 54% rating data governance among the top maturity levels in 2024.

Business intelligence in the microfinance industry

  • 7.7 crore unique live borrowers were served across Indian microfinance lenders as of September 30, 2024.[12]
  • 48% of European microfinance institutions considered exchanging digital-transformation best practices important in 2023.[2]
  • 34% of European microfinance institutions identified the cost of IT experts as a major digital-transformation challenge in 2023.[2]
  • 126.466 million active loans were outstanding across India’s microfinance industry as of September 30, 2024.[12]
  • 41% of India’s outstanding microfinance portfolio was held by NBFC-MFIs as of September 30, 2024.[12]
  • ₹373,918 crore was the outstanding portfolio of India’s microfinance industry as of September 30, 2024.[12]

Data analytics in the microfinance industry

  • 80% minimum accuracy was achieved by the Ghanaian microfinance default-risk model on its holdout sample in 2015.[13]
  • 472 Ghanaian microfinance customers formed the dataset for a 2015 logistic default-risk model.[13]
  • 16,861 Kenyan microfinance loans were analyzed in a Random Forest repayment-risk study summarized in 2026.[14]
  • 80% of the balanced Ghanaian microcredit dataset was used for model training in a 2021 machine-learning credit-scoring study.[15]
  • 495 digital-lender borrowers formed the sample for a Kenyan scorecard study summarized in 2026.[14]
  • 0.7558 was the Random Forest AUC reported for a Kenyan microfinance repayment-risk study summarized in 2026.[14]

Data Quality in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. banking and capital markets, 94% of respondents named data accuracy and reliability as a priority in 2024.[16]
  • Across significant European banking institutions, 32% did not apply data-quality-management principles to end-user computing in 2023.[17]
  • Across global financial services, 36% of organizations rated their data excellent for quantity and completeness in 2024.[18]
  • Across banks supervised by the European Central Bank, 28% reported that all data used by critical functions came from golden sources in 2023.[17]
  • Across U.S. banking and capital markets, 86% of respondents named data access and usability as a top concern in 2024.[16]
  • Across global financial services, 34% of organizations rated their data excellent for accuracy and integrity in 2024.[18]

Data Governance in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across global financial services, 54% of companies rated data governance at one of the two highest maturity levels in 2024.[19]
  • Across financial-services organizations surveyed globally, 57.1% identified BI-content testing as the top future investment in analytics governance in 2025.[20]
  • Across financial-services organizations surveyed globally, 43.7% lacked a standardized certification process for analytics content in 2025.[20]
  • Across 35 surveyed banks, insurers, and financial-services firms in 38 countries, 54% had adopted a semantic layer for organization-wide data governance in 2025.[21]
  • Across financial-services organizations surveyed globally, 82.9% had implemented governance policies specifically applying to business intelligence and analytics in 2025.[20]

KPIs in the microfinance industry

  • 39,820 active clients were served by MicroLoan Malawi in 2024.[22]
  • 1.3% was the median write-off ratio for reporting microfinance institutions worldwide in 2023.[23]
  • 1.2% was MicroLoan Malawi’s portfolio-at-risk-over-30-days ratio in 2024.[22]
  • 108% was the average operational self-sufficiency ratio among European microfinance institutions surveyed for 2023.[2]
  • 5.8% was the median portfolio-at-risk-over-30-days ratio for reporting microfinance institutions worldwide in 2023.[23]
  • 108% was MicroLoan Malawi’s operational self-sufficiency ratio in 2024.[22]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth is uneven: India’s unique borrowers grew 18.1% in FY2023–24, while the portfolio fell 17% between Mar 2025 and Mar 2026. Product allocation is explicit, with 46% of portfolios allocated to microenterprise loans in 2023.

Growth in the microfinance industry

  • 6.56 crore unique live borrowers were recorded across Indian microfinance lenders as of March 31, 2025.[12]
  • 718 districts across 29 Indian states and 7 union territories were covered by microfinance operations as of March 31, 2025.[24]
  • 18.1% was the growth in India’s unique microfinance borrowers during fiscal year 2023–24.[24]
  • 15.4% was the growth in India’s microfinance loan accounts during fiscal year 2023–24.[24]
  • 3% was the quarter-on-quarter growth in India’s microfinance portfolio between December 2025 and March 2026.[12]
  • 17% was the year-on-year contraction in India’s microfinance portfolio outstanding between March 2025 and March 2026.[12]

Differentiation in the microfinance industry

  • 46% of microfinance portfolios were allocated to microenterprise loans in 2023.[25]
  • 65% of Banco Contactar’s Colombian microfinance loan portfolio was protected by government guarantees as of 2024.[26]
  • 45% of microfinance investees offered insurance products in 2023.[25]
  • 25% of microfinance portfolios were allocated to SME loans in 2023.[25]
  • 51% of Annapurna Finance borrowers surveyed in India said their business operations had improved very much because of the institution’s loan.[26]
  • 60% of microfinance investees provided additional financial services in 2023.[25]

Mergers and acquisitions in the microfinance industry

  • 14% was the approximate stake acquired by Greater Pacific Capital in Muthoot Microfin for ₹370 crore in 2021.[27]
  • 10 million dollars was the investment MNT-Halan said it would make in Pakistan after acquiring Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank.[28]
  • ₹1,479 crore was the announced acquisition value for Svatantra Microfin’s purchase of Chaitanya India Fin Credit in 2023.[29]
  • 150 million dollars was the reported acquisition price for Payhippo’s purchase of Maritime Microfinance Bank in Nigeria.[30]
  • 178.6 million dollars was the reported value of Svatantra Microfin’s acquisition of Navi Group’s microfinance subsidiary.[31]
  • 157.5 million dollars was the reported value of MNT-Halan’s acquisition of Turkish micro-leasing company Tam Finans.[28]

Strategic partnerships in the microfinance industry

  • 47 fintech companies participated globally in Accion and Mastercard’s digital-transformation partnership by 2022.[26]
  • 10,000 small businesses in the Philippines are targeted by the Mastercard and Boost Capital partnership for digital financial services and financial literacy.[32]
  • 7 microfinance providers joined CGAP’s digitization pilots in 2022 to test data analytics and automated credit decisioning.[33]
  • 28 microfinance providers were members of CGAP’s Microfinance Digitization Community of Practice by December 2022.[33]
  • 400,000 self-employed women microentrepreneurs had received loans from Sindhuja Microcredit across nine Indian states by 2024.[34]
  • 14.5 million dollars was invested by Oikocredit and GAWA Capital in partnership to finance Sindhuja Microcredit in India in 2024.[34]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce turnover and hiring are quantified for India, including 152,794 staff recruited in FY2025–26. Change capacity is also measured, with 45% of banks reporting issues resourcing change agents and stream leads in 2025.

Hiring in the microfinance industry

  • 152,794 staff were recruited by Indian microfinance institutions during FY 2025–26, according to the Bharat Microfinance Report.[35]
  • 122,693 employees were recruited by NBFC-MFIs in India during FY 2025–26.[35]
  • 103,596 employees were recruited by Indian microfinance institutions with portfolios above ₹5,000 crore during FY 2025–26.[35]
  • 480 employees were recruited by Section 8 microfinance companies in India during FY 2025–26.[35]
  • 17,833 employees were recruited by Indian microfinance institutions with portfolios of ₹500–2,000 crore during FY 2025–26.[35]

Employee retention in the microfinance industry

  • 34,601 employees left Indian microfinance institutions with portfolios above ₹2,000 crore and below ₹5,000 crore during FY 2025–26.[35]
  • 6,666 employees left Indian microfinance institutions with portfolios of ₹100–500 crore during FY 2025–26.[35]
  • 17.07% was the total employee departure rate in Cambodia’s microfinance sector in 2024, including 13.9% voluntary departures.[36]
  • 15,661 employees left Indian NBFCs during FY 2025–26.[35]
  • 21,342 employees left Indian microfinance institutions with portfolios of ₹500–2,000 crore during FY 2025–26.[35]

Remote Work in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 87% of U.S. financial services employees said remote work helped them balance home and work responsibilities in 2025.[19]
  • 68% of U.S. financial services workers said they would consider seeking new employment if remote and hybrid flexibility were reduced in 2023.[37]
  • Across U.S. financial services, 82% of companies offered some form of work-location flexibility in 2025.[38]
  • 52.5% of workers in U.S. financial activities teleworked in June 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.[39]

Hybrid Work in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of financial services companies used a structured hybrid model in early 2024, up from 41% in March 2023.[40]
  • 42.2% of remotely workable finance and insurance jobs were hybrid in July 2025 in the United States.[38]
  • 28.7% of U.S. finance and insurance workers were in hybrid work arrangements as of September 24, 2024.[41]
  • 52% of financial services companies used a structured hybrid model in 2024, up from 41% in 2023, according to a survey of 777 companies.[40]
  • 82% of U.S. financial services firms offered some form of work-location flexibility in July 2025.[38]

Upskilling in the microfinance industry

  • 76% of European microfinance institutions offered non-financial services in 2023, including business-skills and know-how development.[2]
  • 608 POSH training sessions were conducted by Muthoot Microfin in FY 2024–25.[42]
  • 7,481 employees participated in structured training programs at Utkarsh Small Finance Bank in FY 2024–25.[43]
  • 10 Ethiopian financial-service providers participated in an ILO financial-education training-of-trainers program in January–February 2024.[44]
  • 29.2 training hours were received on average by each Utkarsh Small Finance Bank employee in the previous financial year.[43]

Employee Engagement in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 12% of employees in Europe were engaged at work in 2025.[45]
  • 16% of employees worldwide were actively disengaged at work in 2025.[45]
  • 31% of employees in the United States and Canada were engaged at work in 2025.[45]
  • 20% of employees worldwide were engaged at work in 2025, according to Gallup’s World Poll.[45]

DEI in the microfinance industry

  • 1,032 women were employed by Muthoot Microfin in FY 2024–25.[42]
  • 59% of Friendship Bridge promotions in Guatemala were awarded to women in 2024.[46]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer experience in the microfinance industry

  • 60% of Zimbabwean microfinance customers prioritized simple loan-application processes in 2024.[47]
  • 71% was the Customer Experience score for Zimbabwe’s microfinance sector in 2024.[47]
  • 78% of digital-only microfinance clients reported improved quality of life in the 2025 global Microfinance Index.[48]
  • 65% was the Customer Effort Score for Zimbabwe’s microfinance sector in 2024.[47]
  • 30% of Zimbabwean microfinance customers prioritized personalized service in 2024.[47]

Customer retention in the microfinance industry

  • 31% was AMK’s rate of rejoining clients in Cambodia in 2014.[49]
  • 77% was AMK’s unadjusted client-retention rate in Cambodia in 2013.[49]
  • 84% was AMK’s adjusted client-retention rate in Cambodia in 2014.[49]
  • 76% was AMK’s unadjusted client-retention rate in Cambodia in 2014.[49]
  • 95% was Muthoot Microfin’s customer retention rate in India in fiscal 2025.[50]

Customer acquisition in the microfinance industry

  • 1.23 million customers were digitally onboarded by CreditAccess Grameen in fiscal 2023.[51]
  • 43% of CreditAccess Grameen’s fourth-quarter fiscal-2025 borrower additions were new-to-credit customers.[52]
  • 2,975 new borrowers joined Women’s Microfinance Initiative’s program in 2024.[53]
  • 80% of India’s new microfinance borrowers in fiscal 2024 came from 25 very large institutions.[35]
  • 13,436 active borrowers were served by Women’s Microfinance Initiative in 2024.[53]

Customer loyalty in the microfinance industry

  • 66% of Opportunity International microfinance clients reported improved meal quantity or quality in the 2025 client survey.[48]
  • 83% of hybrid microfinance clients reported no unexpected fees in the 2025 global Microfinance Index.[48]
  • 87% of in-person-only microfinance clients reported no unexpected fees in the 2025 global Microfinance Index.[48]
  • 69 was Annapurna Finance’s Net Promoter Score among Indian MFI customers in 2025.[35]
  • 64 was the Net Promoter Score for in-person-only microfinance clients in the 2025 global Microfinance Index.[48]

Lead generation in the microfinance industry

  • 96% was the reported reduction in the dedicated lead-generation budget for a microfinance credit campaign in 2020.[54]
  • 100 leads was the initial target for a microfinance credit campaign in 2020.[54]
  • 700 leads were generated for a microfinance credit campaign, seven times the initial target of 100 leads, in 2020.[54]
  • €0.50 was the reported cost per lead for a microfinance credit campaign in 2020.[54]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing in the microfinance industry

  • ₹49.36 million was Muthoot Microfin’s marketing expense in fiscal 2025, compared with ₹28.53 million in fiscal 2024, India.[50]
  • $2.372 million was Good Shepherd Microfinance’s combined program operations, marketing, research and development expenditure in 2014, Australia.[55]
  • $2.014 million was Good Shepherd Microfinance’s combined program operations, marketing, research and development expenditure in 2017, Australia.[55]
  • $1.604 million was Good Shepherd Microfinance’s combined program operations, marketing, research and development expenditure in 2016, Australia.[55]
  • $1.563 million was Good Shepherd Microfinance’s combined program operations, marketing, research and development expenditure in 2013, Australia.[55]

Digital marketing in the microfinance industry

  • 105 Facebook pages participated in Cambodia Microfinance Association’s weekly financial-literacy campaign in 2025, including member, affiliate and KOL pages.[56]
  • $2 was Era92’s estimated paid-online-advertising cost per customer acquired after its microfinance launch in 2022.[57]
  • More than 80% of CEP survey respondents in Vietnam reported using Facebook and Zalo to obtain company updates, product information and online offers in 2022.[58]
  • 953 social-media contents were produced by Cambodia Microfinance Association financial-education pages in 2023.[36]
  • More than 50,000 weekly active users were recorded on CEP’s microfinance app in Vietnam in 2022.[58]

Branding in the microfinance industry

  • 39% of AMK Microfinance Institution’s clients in Cambodia were relatively poor in 2019, according to the institution’s client-outreach reporting.[49]
  • 16% of AMK Microfinance Institution’s clients in Cambodia were from poor households in its 2022 brand-awareness and client-satisfaction survey.[49]
  • 65% was a published target for increasing Unitus microfinance top-of-mind recall during the stated fiscal year.[59]
  • 13% was Cambodia’s national estimated poverty headcount cited by AMK when assessing its 2019 client outreach.[49]
  • 10% of Cambodian households were estimated to be poor under the cited ID Poor measure used in AMK’s 2022 comparison.[49]

Social media in the microfinance industry

  • 31,000 Facebook followers were recorded on Cambodia Microfinance Association’s My Money page in 2023.[36]
  • 2,500 followers were recorded on Cambodia Microfinance Association’s X platform at the end of 2025.[56]
  • 35,178 followers were recorded on Indian microfinance institution SATYA’s LinkedIn page in fiscal 2024.[60]
  • 53,000 followers were recorded on Cambodia Microfinance Association’s Facebook platform at the end of 2025.[56]
  • 10.56 million views were generated by Cambodia Microfinance Association’s 742 original social-media contents in 2025.[56]

Influencer Marketing in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 60% of financial-services marketers reported dedicated and growing budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026.[61]
  • 23% of financial-services marketers reported dedicated but flat budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026.[61]
  • 5% of financial-services marketers reported dedicated but shrinking budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026.[61]
  • 37% of banking executives in a survey of 102 finance respondents recognized influencer marketing as a potent tool for authentic consumer connections in 2023.[62]
  • 7% of financial-services marketers reported folding creator or influencer marketing into other channels rather than maintaining a dedicated budget in 2026.[61]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational digitization is measurable: 80% of targeted loans received an in-field credit decision via a digital credit scorecard at OBS. Productivity benchmarks are also stated, such as 298 borrowers per loan officer for individual lending institutions.

Process optimization in the microfinance industry

  • 80% of targeted loans received an in-field credit decision through a digital credit scorecard at OBS.[63]
  • 15% of European MFIs planned to introduce digital contracts within one to three years.[64]
  • 47% of European MFIs planned to introduce digital solutions within the following one to three years.[64]
  • 9 Sub-Saharan African MFIs were covered in a four-round longitudinal study of digital-channel implementation and process transformation.[65]
  • 15% of European MFIs planned to install new software for loan processing or customer-relationship management within one to three years.[64]

Operational efficiency in the microfinance industry

  • 298 borrowers per loan officer was the average productivity level for individual lending institutions.[66]
  • USD 68 was the average cost per borrower for village-banking institutions in the study sample.[66]
  • 16.8% was the average operating-expense ratio for starter-level digital microfinance institutions in Triple Jump’s investee sample.[67]
  • 401 borrowers per loan officer was the average productivity level for village-banking institutions.[66]
  • 540 borrowers per loan officer was the average productivity level for solidarity-group lending institutions.[66]

Quality management in the microfinance industry

  • 2.673 was the mean risk-coverage ratio among microfinance institutions in the financial-risk-management study.[66]
  • 1.48% was the average write-off ratio for village-banking institutions in the lending-method study.[66]
  • 6.58% was the average portfolio-at-risk-over-30-days ratio for the full sample in the lending-method study.[66]
  • 0.7% was the mean renegotiated-loans ratio among microfinance institutions in the financial-risk-management study.[66]
  • 4,049 complaints from microfinance beneficiaries and staff were recorded by the same regulator by the end of November 2024.[68]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across surveyed finance organizations, 17% were evaluating nearshore locations for future operations in 2026, compared with 13% evaluating offshore locations.[69]
  • Among significant European banks, outsourcing services accounted for 7.2% of administrative expenses at year-end 2023, up from 6.8%.[17]
  • Among U.S. banks surveyed, 57% had considered outsourcing information technology departments in 2024, the highest share among listed departments.[70]
  • Among significant European banks, 27% of critical ICT contracts were outsourced to external providers located outside the European Union in the 2024 analysis.[17]
  • Across surveyed finance organizations, 64% were implementing or evaluating offshoring or nearshoring for finance operations in 2026, while 36% planned to remain fully U.S.-based.[69]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Sector profitability and pricing show divergence across countries, with India’s weighted-average portfolio yield at 22.0% in FY2024–25. India also reports -2.7% return on assets and -11.5% return on equity in FY2024–25.

Pricing strategy in the microfinance industry

  • 16.31% was the 2022 yield for Indian NBFC-MFIs.[51]
  • 16.50% was the reported yield of India’s microfinance sector in 2022.[51]
  • 18.82% was the 2022 yield for Indian society, trust and MACS microfinance institutions.[51]
  • 19.8% was India’s weighted-average portfolio yield in FY 2021-22.[29]
  • 22.0% was the weighted-average portfolio yield of India’s microfinance industry in FY 2024-25.[24]

Cost reduction in the microfinance industry

  • 7.09% was the average operating-cost rate of India’s microfinance institutions in FY 2024-25.[35]
  • 4.5% was India’s weighted-average personnel-expense ratio in FY 2022-23.[29]
  • 5.6% was India’s weighted-average operating-expense ratio in FY 2020-21.[29]
  • ₹2,652 was India’s weighted-average operating cost per borrower in FY 2021-22.[29]
  • 6.3% was India’s weighted-average operating-expense ratio in FY 2021-22.[29]

Profitability in the microfinance industry

  • ZiG968.72 million was Zimbabwe’s microfinance-industry net profit in 2024.[71]
  • -1.71% was India’s weighted-average return on assets in FY 2024-25.[35]
  • -2.7% was the return on assets of India’s microfinance industry in FY 2024-25.[24]
  • -11.5% was the return on equity of India’s microfinance industry in FY 2024-25.[24]
  • 27.6% was Ethiopia’s microfinance-sector return on equity at June 2024.[72]

Financial planning in the microfinance industry

  • 2.3 was India’s sector-wide debt-to-equity leverage ratio in FY 2024-25.[35]
  • 53.9% was Ethiopia’s microfinance-sector liquidity ratio at June 2025.[51]
  • ₹1,70,639 crore was the projected assets-under-management figure for Indian microfinance companies in FY 2027.[73]
  • K10.9 billion was Malawi’s deposit-taking microfinance subsector liquid-asset balance in 2025.[51]
  • ₹1,19,730 crore was the reported assets-under-management figure for Indian microfinance companies in FY 2024.[73]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Digital channels broaden beyond credit: 84% of European MFIs had digital solutions supporting clients in applying for, managing or repaying loans in 2022. Complaint and grievance systems are also measured, with 96% of surveyed institutions having a toll-free number.

Product development in the microfinance industry

  • 58% of European microfinance institutions helped clients learn to use digital solutions to access financial products in 2022.[2]
  • About one-third of European microfinance institutions offered clients self-service online platforms for non-financial services in 2022.[2]
  • 84% of European microfinance institutions had digital solutions supporting clients in applying for, managing or repaying loans in 2022.[2]
  • 37% was the increase in savings value at Nigeria’s Accion Microfinance Bank, from 3.4 billion naira in 2019 to 4.64 billion naira in August 2022.[26]
  • More than 80% of European microfinance institutions delivered non-financial services through in-person, one-to-one support in 2022.[2]

Product lifecycle in the microfinance industry

  • 79% of Opportunity International microfinance clients reported increased access to children’s education in the 2025 Microfinance Index.[48]
  • ₹60,253 was the average ticket size for loans disbursed by reporting Indian micro-lending institutions in FY2024-25.[35]
  • 8% was the year-on-year decline in India’s microfinance disbursement value between FY2024-25 and FY2025-26.[35]
  • 2.34% was India’s portfolio at risk of 30 to 179 days past due in March 2026, down from 6.63% a year earlier.[35]
  • 83.9% of disbursement value by reporting Indian micro-lending institutions in FY2024-25 came from microfinance loans.[35]

After-sales in the microfinance industry

  • 19.2% of borrowers in the referenced financial-inclusion survey were unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their loans.[74]
  • 96% of surveyed microfinance institutions had a toll-free number for registering customer complaints in the cited sector assessment.[75]
  • 33% of beneficiaries said simplifying the loan process would have improved their borrowing experience in the cited evaluation.[76]
  • 24.1% of dissatisfied borrowers cited short loan maturity or large monthly payments as a reason for dissatisfaction.[74]
  • 70% of surveyed microfinance institutions provided clients with grievance-redressal systems in the cited sector assessment.[75]

Value proposition in the microfinance industry

  • 89% of surveyed microfinance clients said their quality of life had improved because of their microfinance experience in 2023.[77]
  • 78% of beneficiaries said their microfinance loan met their specific business needs in the cited evaluation.[76]
  • 58% of surveyed microfinance clients said they had no access to a similar product before taking an MFI loan in the 2022 Microfinance Index.[78]
  • 61% of African microfinance clients reported lacking good alternatives to their current provider in the 2024 index.[79]
  • 66 was the global Net Promoter Score among microfinance clients reporting no good alternatives in the 2024 index.[79]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Environmental strategy coverage is quantified for European MFIs, with 69% having developed environmental strategies in 2024. Green lending is tracked with EUR 29 million outstanding green microloan portfolios and 11,000 active green-loan borrowers in 2022.

Sustainability in the microfinance industry

  • 69% of European MFIs had developed environmental strategies in 2024, covering objectives, processes, responsibilities and monitoring methods.[2]
  • 56% of European MFIs reported environmental-performance findings to relevant bodies in 2024.[2]
  • 44% of European MFIs provided non-financial services supporting clients’ green transitions in 2024.[2]
  • 63% of European MFIs tracked their environmental performance in 2024.[2]
  • European MFIs reported EUR 29 million in outstanding green microloan portfolios and 11,000 active green-loan borrowers in 2022.[2]

ESG in the microfinance industry

  • 80% of Maanaveeya’s microfinance outreach was rural in 2025.[34]
  • 50% of bank-type MFIs in a global study had environmental policies guiding or limiting operations.[80]
  • 20% of non-bank financial institution MFIs in a global study had environmental policies guiding or limiting operations.[80]
  • 33% of cooperative MFIs in a global study had environmental policies guiding or limiting operations.[80]
  • 60% of Maanaveeya’s microfinance loans financed agriculture and allied activities in 2025.[34]

Ethics in the microfinance industry

  • 64% of microfinance clients strongly agreed that their loan terms were clear in the 2023 Microfinance Index.[79]
  • 97% of clients at Turame Community Finance strongly agreed that agents treated them fairly and respectfully in 2024.[79]
  • 99% of clients at FUNDENUSE strongly agreed that agents treated them fairly and respectfully in 2024.[79]
  • 25% of microfinance clients who experienced harassment reported the incidents in the 2025 Microfinance Index.[79]
  • 82% of BRAC Liberia Microfinance clients knew how to report harassment and said they would do so in 2024.[79]

CSR in the microfinance industry

  • 21 MFIs participated in BNP Paribas’s 2023 microfinance social-performance study.[81]
  • 47% of Maanaveeya’s portfolio was in microfinance lending as of March 2025.[34]
  • 23.7 million hours of coaching or training were provided by BNP Paribas partner MFIs in 2023.[81]
  • 97% of beneficiaries of BNP Paribas partner-MFI microloans were women in 2023.[81]
  • More than 75.90 lakh Indian microfinance clients benefited from developmental activities during the financial year covered by Bharat Microfinance Report 2026.[35]

Circular economy in the microfinance industry

  • 38% of European MFIs providing green loans had dedicated client green-transition initiatives in 2022.[2]
  • 46% of European MFIs cited weak client demand and limited sustainability awareness as a barrier to green lending in 2022.[2]
  • 23% of European MFIs with green-loan products focused their transition initiatives on raising client awareness in 2022.[2]
  • 28% of European MFIs had specialized green-loan products in 2024.[2]
  • 21% of European MFIs with green-loan products focused their transition initiatives on connecting clients with green-technology providers in 2022.[2]

Carbon footprint in the microfinance industry

  • 24% of European MFIs measured CO2 emissions in 2024.[2]
  • 1,571 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per EUR 1 million of revenue was the GHG intensity reported for EMF Microfinance Fund investees in 2023.[82]
  • 720 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per EUR 1 million invested was the comparable carbon-footprint figure reported for EMF Microfinance Fund in 2022.[82]
  • 688 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per EUR 1 million of revenue was the comparable GHG intensity reported for EMF Microfinance Fund investees in 2022.[82]
  • 515 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per EUR 1 million invested was the reported carbon footprint of EMF Microfinance Fund in 2023.[82]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global participation is quantified through index datasets: 126 financial service providers from 45 countries participated in 2024, representing 32 million people globally. Channel mix is explicit, with 22% reporting digital-only access and repayment.

Globalization in the microfinance industry

  • 2,827,196 clients were served by participating microfinance providers in Latin America in 2024.[79]
  • 84 million clients were collectively served by 114 financial service providers across 32 countries in the 2023 Microfinance Index dataset.[92]
  • 31,948,531 clients were collectively served by 126 participating financial service providers in the 2024 Microfinance Index.[79]
  • 1.7 million active borrowers were served by surveyed microcredit providers across Europe at the end of 2024.[2]
  • 126 financial service providers from 45 countries participated in the 2024 Microfinance Index, representing 32 million people globally.[79]

Cultural adaptation in the microfinance industry

  • 38% of respondents in the 2025 Microfinance Index used group borrowing, compared with 62% using individual borrowing.[48]
  • 45% of respondents in the 2025 Microfinance Index were from Africa, 30% from Asia and 25% from Latin America.[48]
  • 65% of respondents in the 2025 Microfinance Index were women.[48]
  • Fusion Microfinance’s target customers were rural women with annual household income of up to 300,000 Indian rupees as of December 31, 2024.[93]
  • 5% of clients in the 2025 Microfinance Index reported experiencing a disability.[48]

Supplier management in the microfinance industry

  • 19% of microfinance provider–fintech partnerships studied by AFI developed products specifically for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.[74]
  • 12% of microfinance provider–fintech partnerships studied by AFI linked financial products to health, energy, education or housing.[74]
  • 56% of microfinance-provider technology partners cited insufficient relevant expertise as an obstacle to expanding digital financial services.[74]
  • 423 partner organisations received technical support from ADA cumulatively during 2022–2024, including 189 microfinance institutions.[94]
  • 18% of microfinance provider–fintech partnerships studied by AFI developed products specifically for farmers.[74]

Stakeholder management in the microfinance industry

  • 49 lenders funded Fusion Microfinance as of December 31, 2024, including public-sector banks, private banks, foreign banks, development institutions and investors.[93]
  • 53% of clients in the 2025 Microfinance Index accessed and repaid loans entirely in person.[48]
  • 29% of clients in the 2025 Microfinance Index reported accessing supplementary services from their financial service provider.[48]
  • 22% of clients in the 2025 Microfinance Index accessed and repaid loans through digital-only means.[48]
  • 64% of participating financial service providers in the 2025 Microfinance Index offered supplementary products or services.[48]

Distribution channels in the microfinance industry

  • 27 branches covered eight districts across two Indian states for Agora Microfinance in 2024.[95]
  • 1.6 million customers were cumulatively empowered by Muthoot Microfin’s Mahila Mitra application by financial year 2024.[50]
  • Substantially all of Fusion Microfinance’s customer disbursements were cashless during the nine months ended December 31, 2024.[93]
  • 15,455 permanent employees supported Fusion Microfinance’s branch network as of December 31, 2024.[93]
  • 685 branches served southern India and 823 branches served the rest of India for Muthoot Microfin as of March 31, 2024.[50]

Key questions about the microfinance industry

How large is the global microfinance market in 2025?
The global microfinance market was valued at $255.69 billion in 2025, with Asia-Pacific at 54.9% of the total.
What growth rate does the market forecast for 2026–2034?
The global market is forecast to reach $646.56 billion by 2034 at an 11.0% CAGR from 2026 to 2034.
Which companies lead the microfinance industry?
Gentera leads Gitnux's 2026 microfinance ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, with MXN 272.75 billion disbursed to 4.6 million-plus clients in Mexico and Peru in 2025. BRAC is the runner-up at 9.4, driven by 6.95 million Bangladesh microfinance borrowers reported for FY2024.
What technology shifts are showing up in microfinance delivery?
Digital delivery and mobile payments support growth, while alternative credit scoring is expanding underwriting beyond branches.
How fragmented is microfinance globally?
Microfinance is fragmented globally, while individual countries can be highly concentrated; Cambodia’s IMF-cited study found the top ten MFIs accounted for about 90% of the market before the interest-rate cap.
How are nonbanks changing lending access by 2025?
The IMF’s October 30, 2026 Financial Access Survey brief reported that non-bank financial institutions held more loan accounts than banks in low-income countries by 2025.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Microfinance Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/microfinance-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Microfinance Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/microfinance-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Microfinance Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/microfinance-industry-statistics.

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