International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review

ISSN:2347 - 3215 Volume 1 Number 1 (2013) pp. 78-83

The microfinance in India- An overview

M.Kannan1 and A. Panneerselvam2

1Research Scholar, Poompuhar college Melaiyur, Sirkali, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India 1Department of Commerce, King Nandhivarman College of Arts and Science, Thellar, T.V.Malai, Tamil Nadu, India. 2Principal and Research Supervisor, Poompuhar college Melaiyur, Sirkali, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding author e-mail: mkannanphd@gmail.com

A B S T R A C T

Microfinance is a form of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to banking and related services. The two main mechanisms for the delivery of financial services to such clients are: (1) relationship-based banking for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses; and (2) group-based models, where several entrepreneurs come together to apply for loans and other services as a group. In some regions, for example Southern Africa, microfinance is used to describe the supply of financial services to low-income employees, which is closer to the retail finance model prevalent in mainstream banking.Microfinance is a broad category of services, which includes microcredit. Microcredit is provision of credit services to poor clients.Microcredit is one of the aspects of microfinance and the two are often confused. Critics may attack microcredit while referring to it indiscriminately as either 'microcredit' or 'microfinance'.

Keywords

Microfinance; entrepreneurs; Microcredit; Informal financial; NGOs; financial institutions; Financial system.