The IRIS Center compiled the Comparative Database on Microfinance Regulation by consulting applicable laws and regulations, secondary articles, and knowledgeable stakeholders - practitioners, lawyers, and regulators – and distilling the information into a standard template.
There were significant challenges in gathering the information, including unavailable or inadequate translations, lack of full transparency in the regulatory processes of some countries, the time lag between gathering the information and reporting it, and other inherent limitations of desk reviews.
In some cases, third parties from national central banks or local law firms verified the data; those countries where this has been done are marked accordingly. The date of the most recent update is indicated for each country.
CGAP and IRIS tried to make these materials as accurate as possible within the limitations of the available budget. However, given those limitations we cannot guarantee the correctness or completeness of the information presented. It should be used for general survey purposes, and not taken as legal advice. Anyone needing guidance with respect to actual investment or operations in a given country should secure local legal advice.
Available laws for each country are provided in the country pages.
Other important sources include:
- The World Bank’s Bank Regulation and Supervision Database
- The World Bank/IFC Doing Business Law Library
- World Council of Credit Unions Guide to International Credit Union Legislation (2005)
In addition, the following organizations and individuals contributed greatly in collecting and finding resources: