Approximately 20% of all households in the Philippines depend on income from micro-enterprises, a crucially important component of the Philippine economy.
Micro enterprises depend upon three categories of MFIs in the organized micro finance sector in the Philippines. These are the Rural Banks, Cooperatives and the NGO MFIs
Of these, the Philippine Rural Banking sector comprising of around 750 banks with 1800 branches that covers 85% of all municipalities of the country is uniquely positioned to extend the outreach of micro finance. Rural Banks have demonstrated that banks can make money by providing loan and deposit services for micro-enterprises if they “do it right.”
In the ultimate analysis therefore, it can be said that a lot of the success of micro finance in the Philippines depends on the success of micro finance delivered by the rural banks.
