Some treaties identify organizations that have microfinance initiatives. The United States is a party to several such treaties, such as the Bretton Woods Agreement which created the World Bank Group. To review the status of such treaties (and to gain an idea of which organizations support microfinance initiatives), go to http://www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/ and click on the index: Treaties in Force (TIF). Through Treaties in Force, researchers can search for bilateral agreements by party name and can search for multilateral agreements by subject heading. For example, clicking on the subject heading "Financial Institutions" yields a list of treaties that established various financial institutions. One of these treaties established the Inter-American Development Bank. Researchers can either review the status of the treaty or perform a subsequent internet search for the Inter-American Development Bank through Google. Upon visiting the American Development Bank's website, researchers would obtain more information about projects that the organization funds, such as Project RG-T1372 : Effective Regulation for Microfinance Expansion in Latin America & the Caribbean.
The UN also has a searchable database of treaties. Access http://treaties.un.org and click on: UNTS. Performing a full text search using the keywords "microfinance OR microcredit" will yield a few specific results. Also, performing an advanced search using the term "Finance" will provide many examples of agreements that established development banks.
The books below provide helpful background information and review the policy issues regarding regulation of MFIs.
Robert Peck Christen, Timothy Lyman, & Richard Rosenberg, Guiding Principles on Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance, in CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MONETARY AND FINANCIAL LAW VOL. 4 383 (2005).
"Current Developments in Monetary and Financial Law," published by the International Monetary Fund's legal department, includes presentations made at the IMF's biennial seminar. Volume 4 includes the paper: "Guiding Principles on Regulation and Supervision of Microfinance." This paper outlines how MFIs should be regulated and provides an overview of important distinctions between MFIs and traditional banking and financial institutions.
Manfred Zeller, The Safety Net Role of Microfinance for Income and Consumption Smoothing, in SHIELDING THE POOR; SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD 217 (Nora Lustig ed., 2001).
Published by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Brookings Institution Press, this book includes a chapter which discusses the risks faced by poor households in developing countries and how microfinance can help overcome those risks.
DOUGLAS WARNER, FINANCIAL STABILITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND THE ROLE OF LAW (2007).
This source discusses generally the role of law in maintaining financial stability and financial market growth. Although this book does not contain much information specific to MFIs, it is helpful in understanding the overall role of law in finance.
Feeling lost in the alphabet soup of microfinance? Unsure how to distinguish between microfinance and microcredit? Refer to one of the glossaries listed below: