Using Microfinance to Expand Access to Energy Services: Summary of Findings

This research offers a detailed look at the business models, the clients, and the operations of selected MFIs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean that currently have energy-lending programs. The goals of the study are to offer initial recommendations for project implementation to the global financial service community, energy companies, donors, and policy makers, highlight lessons to learn from, and identify areas that warrant further attention for using microfinance to improve access to energy services. This paper summarizes and consolidates the major findings from three individual papers on MFIs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean, that are a companion to this paper.