With only 1 out of 8 people in the country having their own bank accounts, there is an overwhelming need for the government and private sector to work together to broaden the access to financial services – not just for the poor – but for the remaining 170 million citizens of the country.

Photo Essay and Feature Story: “A Silent Spring”

Photo Essay and Feature Story: “Phnom Penh”

Deeper Perspective: “Finance at Your Doorstep”

Lifestyle: “Udaipur”

Cityscapes: “Budapest”

Cityscapes: “Postcards from Hungary”

However, despite producing over half of the country’s rice output, the region is home to a large segment of Vietnam’s vulnerable communities: ethnic minorities, the poor, landless & the unemployed. 1 out of 4 people in the Mekong Delta barely get by with one dollar a day, more than any other region in the country.

Photograph 10 | Do Vicche Ka, the 4-year old daughter of Sim Sina, a client of TPC, holds on to the family’s loan of 1 billion Riel (about US$250), which will be paid back in over a year’s time.

There is one couple trying to change all that. Mitra Bisnis Keluarga Ventura, “Family Business Partners”, is a microfinance institution started by husband and wife team Dr. Shafiq Dhahani and Liz Sweeting, two former development economists. Inspired by the work of Dr. Muhammud Yunus, the Bangladeshi Nobel laureate who pioneered the group-based model of micro lending, the pair left the world of academia to start giving out small loans – under US$80 – to groups of five women who guarantee each other’s repayment.

After a decade in operation, MBK – whose staff is almost entirely female – has grown to support the livelihoods of over a quarter of a million borrowers, making it one of the most successful microfinance institutions in the world today.

Photograph 12 | A recent World Bank study concluded that fingerprinting rural clients have led to substantially higher repayment rates, along with borrowers choosing smaller loan sizes, helping to lower the risk of default. AMK’s portfolio quality is testament to this, having a historical default ratio under 2% over the last three years.