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Poverty is among the significant issues that pakistan has been facing for the past few years and if this issue will remain unattended, the future of pakistan is in danger. Microfinance is a very powerful tool to alleviate poverty and empower women and impoverished populations. In pakistan, there are numerous non-governmental organizations (ngos), microfinance institutions (mfis), microfinance banks (mfbs), and other welfare trusts that working on poverty alleviation and aspiring to achieve their aims and targets. The state bank of pakistan (sbp), pakistan microfinance network (pmn), pakistan poverty alleviation fund (ppaf), and other organizations are also striving to attain the united nations' millennium development goals (mdg) and thereby contribute to the economic development of the nation. The present study aims to identify the contribution of the government and ngos in eliminating poverty considering the case study of punjab, pakistan. The questionnaire survey was used for conducting this analysis where certain statements have been used to measure each variable on the likert scale. After the identification of its reliability and validity, the questionnaire was used for the final data collection, which has been further used for the analysis. The findings have revealed that the growth rate of borrowers and training significantly influences poverty. Furthermore, ngos have been found to have a significant moderating role between microbusiness and poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) contribute significantly to the economic and social development of many countries. In particular, the sector provides new job opportunities, stimulates competition and thus boost productivity. Accordingly, the sustainability of MSMEs is of paramount importance. However, according to Fatoki (2012) 60% of MSMEs fail within the first five years of their operations. One of the reasons of this failure is poor financial management which is mainly because of poor financial literacy. Financial literacy is also an issue highlighted in the human resource ability in accessing fund from financial institution. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to assess the level of financial literacy among Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) MSMEs operator in Klang Valley from three different districts of Selangor. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 312 AIM MSMEs operator. Descriptive and inferential analysis are used to examine the extent of awareness regarding financial literacy among AIM MSMEs operator. The findings indicated that ANOVA result significantly influences financial literacy. The study results indicated that knowledge, socialisation agents, attitude and skills are significant predictors of financial literacy among AIM MSMEs operator in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Thus, policymakers should consider MSMEs factors and financial literacy traits, which determine their behaviours and actions in micro-entrepreneurship while implementing financial literacy interventions to promote financial inclusion of MSMEs, especially in Klang Valley, Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the effects of crude oil price (COP) and base rate (BR) on the strength of the Ringgit (RM) against the US Dollar (USD). Within the framework of the international Fisher effect theory, the study employs yearly data from the Bloomberg Database over an observed period from 1984 through 2017. Using bivariate Engle-Granger cointegration test as an estimation tool, the study reveals the presence of a long-term relationship between the RM and COP. However, the results of the Granger Causality test show an absence of a dynamic relationship between them. From the second analysis between the RM and BR, the study finds the presence of both long-term and short-term relationships between them. Interestingly, the relationship is somewhat bidirectional. Overall, the study has suggested the relevance of the international Fisher effect in explaining how variations in the RM exchange rate are elucidated by the bank lending market. In addition, it is worth noting that both BR and COP exert a significant influence on the strength of the RM against USD over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]