The term microfinance is used to describe a range of financial services provided to the poor. As the name suggests, most transactions involve small sums of money, most often less than £100. Microfinance has often been called ‘banking for the poor’ and is widely regarded as an effective tool for lifting people out of poverty - not through hand-outs, but through small repayable loans, safe savings, and appropriate insurance products for when things go wrong. Access to these services, which most of us in the UK take for granted, can be transformational.

There are still 2.7 billion people in the world without access to financial services. RESULTS works on ensuring that, as we continue to reach out to new clients and as more private finance enters the sector, the microfinance community remains focused on poverty alleviation.

We also encourage the use of innovative tools for reaching those who remain excluded, including micro crop insurance. Crop insurance is a vital tool to protect the rural poor, who are overwhelmingly involved in agriculture, from weather disasters. It prevents destitution when disaster strikes and also provides the safety net for financial institutions in this risky sector, enabling farmers to gain access to credit and invest in their land.