Islamic Republic of Iran: Bank Keshavarzi, the Agricultural Bank. Near East

Sustainable microfinance institutions in Iran have been poorly developed, mainly due to overregulation and subsidization on the part of the government. Bank Keshavarzi is a government owed agricultural bank acting as both a development and a commercial entity. Bank Keshravzi undertook a period of structural reform between 1998 and 2004 that involved resource mobilization, e-banking initiatives, credit and investment services, finance strategies, and human resources strategies. BK has been a profitable bank since 2001-2002 and has become gradually more self-reliant. BK’s success in agricultural development and rural diversification as well as its presence in urban areas is remarkable considering the macroeconomic climate of financial repression in Iran. A major unbanked category is young educated men and women who could add up to 2.5 new borrowers to the market._x000D_ http://www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m//template.rc/1.9.28214?page…