Marie Michael Library

Village banks, Caisses Villageoises, and credit unions: lessons from client-owned microfinance organizations in West Africa

Ouattara, Korotoumou; Gonzalez-Vega, Claudio; Graham, Douglas H.

This case study conducts a preliminary comparative analysis of three forms of client-owned financial institutions: credit unions, village banking systems, and caisses villageoises. This comparison identifies some common threads that may explain the success or failure of these organizations, as well as common factors that may generally facilitate or limit their future expansion.