An Evaluation of the Rural Microfinance Development Centre as a Wholesale Lending Institution in Nepal

ln 1998 the Government of Nepal, with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), established the Rural Microfinance Development Centre (RMDC), a public company with the mandate to operate as a wholesale lending agency for microfinance institutions (MFls) in Nepal. An attempt has been made in this study to assess the performance of the RMDC and its impact on the beneficiaries.

The research was undertaken between May and September 2006 using a participatory approach, which involved extensive discussions with microfinance practitioners and field visits to five project areas, where small samples of MFls and their clients were selected and interviewed. This study can contribute towards understanding the microfinance sector in Nepal and help improve its strategy.