Commercial Investments and Mission Drift in Microfinance

The microfinance sector has witnessed various controversies and criticisms recently as a consequence of its commercialization and the related involvement of international investors. Against this background, the qualitative case study reported on examines the perceptions of stakeholders from the Swiss microfinance investment network. How do the various investor-related stakeholder groups perceive the motivation to become engaged in microfinance, the mission drift issue and the current state and potentials of mutual value creation? The findings suggest that common ground on fundamental questions facilitates superior mutual value creation among the investigated stakeholders. Implications include the need for enhanced coordination between private and public stakeholders.