IT and MIS in Microfinance Institution Effectiveness and Sustainability Issues

According to a recognized survey, only 11% of the world’s 240 million poorest families are currently served by Microfinance Institution (Daley-Harris, 2002). In order to increase the outreach of MFI, institution will have to go a step further and start their operation in the rural areas. Implementing sustainable IT infrastructure in such areas is a challenge with numerous obstacles. Further, employee training also poses challenges that are unique to the microfinance industry. In this chapter, we articulate some of the challenges faced by microfinance institutions and some potential solutions with the help of real world case studies. We also propose a framework, which will help microfinance institutions implement IT based management information systems effectively.