| Abstract:
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Cultural barriers, lack of access to education and legal issues (e.g. limited property titles and inheritance rights, low status of women, illiteracy, etc.) often prevent poor people from obtaining finance from banks. Landless farmers and women are particularly excluded from formal financial services due to the lack of collateral. Evidence shows that the use of financial services helps poor men and women increase and diversify incomes, build human, social and economic assets, and improve their livelihoods. The current trends in the provision of microfinance services to poor men and women include the participation of a wider variety of organisations, a larger range of products, gender-sensitivity and different methods of service delivery. However, the scale of the initiative is still too small and many challenges remain for the sector.
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