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MICROFINANCE LAW AND REGULATION
 
Financial inclusion means providing sound and affordable financial services to the "unbanked”, those who do not have access to the formal financial system. Financial inclusion is more than an economic issue - it is a legal and regulatory reform process. IDLO’s Micro Finance Law and Regulation activities contribute to the removal of barriers to financial inclusion through innovative legal constructions in order to afford the ”unbanked” an opportunity for sound and affordable financial services.

Vision:
To empower jurists in developing countries to take an active role in advocating for the improvement of the financial services industry and the rights of their consumers.
 
Areas of interest:
 
 
Activities: 
  • Mapping - IDLO has built a global regulatory database for financial inclusion.
  • Technical assistance - Due to IDLO’s international perspective and a global network, the organization now offers regulatory impact assessment studies and legal framework implementation consulting for banking supervisory bodies.
  • Financial inclusion laboratory - IDLO finances six projects from its alumni across the globe. These initiatives are pilots for innovative legal solutions to financial inclusion issues.
  • Research and publications - IDLO uses the outcome mapping research methodology and utilizes knowledge generation as a tool to convince, inform, and eventually to influence the behavior of key microfinance stakeholders.
  • Training - IDLO has significant experience in training legal professionals, microfinance practitioners and law and policy makers on legal aspects of financial inclusion.
  • E-learning – In order to increase its training outreach, IDLO continues to develop and publish distance learning courses.
For more information about IDLO’s Microfinance program, contact the Microfinance Team
Selected projects
Microfinance Law and Regulation Project
Regional In-country Training Workshops - Participants develop and share their expertise on microfinance regulation. The 12 workshops created an international network of practitioners, sharing knowledge, experience and innovative ideas. Beneficiaries include local microfinance entities, NGOs, central banks, other bank regulators, think tanks, borrower groups and government law and policymakers
Post-Training Policy Dialogues - IDLO organizes post-training, cross-regional policy dialogues connecting policymakers and microfinance practitioners to share best practices and innovations.
Summary Seminar in Rome - This event gathered selected alumni from throughout the world to create and implement in-country projects that strengthen microfinance legal and regulatory frameworks.
Institutional Strengthening Grants - IDLO provides grants to selected alumni who have successfully completed a microfinance regional training program. The grants are intended to perpetuate efforts to strengthen the country or region’s legal/regulatory structures and institutions.
Consumer Protection in the Microfinance Industry: Loan Agreements, Dispute Resolutions and Debt Collection Practices
A comparative study of the state of consumer protection laws, regulations and administrative practices in relation to microfinance borrowing by the poor, many of whom are financially if not functionally illiterate.  Survey of law and practice in 20 countries focusing on contracts for microfinance loans, microfinance dispute resolution mechanisms and debt collection practices;  more in-depth research of these issues in Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, India (Tamil Nadu) and Colombia.