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Grameen Bank

Bangladeshi bank
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Table of Contents
Awards And Honors:
Nobel Prize (2006)
Date:
1983 - present
Areas Of Involvement:
microcredit
Related People:
Muhammad Yunus

Grameen Bank, Bangladeshi bank founded by economist Muhammad Yunus as a means of providing small loans to poor individuals (see microcredit). In 2006 Grameen and Yunus were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.

The Grameen (Bengali: “Rural”) model, devised by Yunus in 1976, is based on groups of five prospective borrowers who meet regularly with Grameen Bank field managers. Typically, two of the five prospective borrowers are granted loans. If, after a probationary time period, the first two borrowers meet the terms of repayment, then loans are granted to the remaining group members. Peer pressure acts as a replacement for traditional loan collateral. Grameen became an independent bank in 1983; headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it has more than 2,200 branches in the country. The Grameen model has come to symbolize an efficient means of helping the poor by providing them with opportunities to help themselves. More than 97 percent of Grameen’s loan recipients have been women.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.