Assessment of the Research And Capacity Building For Product Development in Microfinance Project

This document comprises an assessment report of the "“Research and Capacity Building for Product Development in Microfinance Project”", the result of a partnership between the ‘Inter-Church Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO), Netherlands, and ‘Microfinance Council of the Philippines (MCPI). The report identifies the:

• Project aim:
  • To strengthen the capacity of microfinance institutions (MFIs) to design and develop new and improved financial products for poor clients;
• Project components:
  • Compiling and documenting of successful innovative microfinance products;
  • Developing MFI capacity to undertake market research;
  • Developing, testing and launching new microfinance products.

The report states that:

• The project is successful and has achieved its objectives;
• Component ‘A has produced studies and documentation of the product development process for each type of MFI;
• Component ‘B has reached 44 MFIs with training courses on market research;
• Component ‘C has led to the development of new products and increased the knowledge and skills of the MFIs' staff.

The report concludes with recommendations for:

• The extension of technical assistance (TA) until the completion of the product development process;
• The documentation of MFI experiences on receiving TA on product development;
• Review of the selection criteria for participation in the training courses;
• Continuing of the “Market Research for Microfinance” course after project completion;
• Consideration of providing follow-up training on other tools.