Financial Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) of Bangladesh

Microfinance is a form of banking service providing financial support to unemployed or vulnerable groups. The microfinance models emphasise on alleviation of poverty and women empowerment by improving financial access and services. However, the positive impacts of microfinance institutions on the welfare of the poor are sustainable only if the institutions achieve a good financial performance. The aim of this study is to identify factors affecting financial sustainability of MFIs in Bangladesh. The study followed an econometric research approach using an unbalanced panel data set of 145 observations from 29 MFIs over the period 2008-2012 in Bangladesh. Among the 29 MFIs only 4 MFIs have found less than 100% FSS. The study found that capital assets ratio, operating expense and write-off ratio affect the financial sustainability of MFIs in Bangladesh. However, MFI size, Age of MFI, borrower per staff members, ratio of savings to total assets, debt equity ratio, outstanding loan to total assets and percentage of female borrowers had no significant impact on financial sustainability of MFIs in Bangladesh during the study period. Keywords: Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), financial sustainability, Bangladesh