"This new book collects the experience of microfinance practitioners in eleven countries in the Asia-Pacific region: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. It is designed to provide an overview of the subject: why is microfinance so essential to poverty reduction, what is the current 'best-practice' and what kind of policy framework and regulatory environment is required?"--BOOK JACKET.