MSME Finance in Malawi - Status and Opportunities for Financial Institutions

Malawi aspires to achieve sustainable growth and economic development and become a middle-income country with a per capita income of $1,000 by the year 2020. While micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play a critical role in economic growth and development in most economies, they often face a number of challenges in their quest for growth.

This note considers MSMEs’ access to finance in Malawi and charts a potential roadmap for banks and other financial institutions as they expand and downscale to serve the MSME market. The note is based on the assessment of the Malawian MSME sector, their financial needs and consequent product development opportunities for financial service providers.