Instituciones de microfinanzas totalmente nuevas en Africa al sur del Sahara : un modelo para promover el acceso al financiamiento

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the lowest level of access to finance of any region in the world, with an average banked population of only 24 percent (Findex 2012). The region's banking systems are small in both absolute and relative size (as measured by liquid liabilities and credit as percentage of gross domestic product) (Beck, Maimbo, Faye, and Triki 2011). The microfinance sector has been relatively slow to expand in SSA compared to other regions in the world. According to the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) landscape data, services are concentrated in larger urban centers, and service delivery in rural areas is meager (MIX 2011). Until a few years ago, the main providers of financial services to base-of-the-pyramid customers were credit unions, savings and loans associations, and nonprofit credit programs. Now, new players are entering the region, including specialized Greenfield microfinance institutions (MFIs), downscaling Pan African commercial banks, and mobile network operators. This paper explores the Greenfield business model, which focuses on expanding financial services through two main elements: (1) creation of a group of 'greenfield MFIs' defined as institutions that are newly created without pre-existing infrastructure, staff, clients, or portfolios, and (2) central organizing bodies, often holding companies that create these MFIs through common ownership and management.