| | Features & Purposes |
| | | a. | Provide the poor direct access to reasonable and affordable credit and related, programs and services; |
| | | b. | Provide business development opportunities such as leadership training and entrepreneurial skills enhancement; |
| | | c. | Provide human development services to help the poor achieve a level of sustainability and empowerment, and adopts measures to promote a spirit of generosity and selfless giving among individuals and institutions that shall help support programs directly involved in poverty eradication; |
| | | d. | Collect compulsory savings or capital build-up (CBU) only from their clients for purposes of maintaining the compensating balance in relation to the same client’s loan. Acceptance of client savings shall not be deemed as deposit-taking; |
| | | e. | Prohibited from directly engaging in the insurance business. However, they may establish partnerships with authorized microinsurance agents and/or entities in the furtherance of their social protection objectives; |
| | | f. | Charge reasonable interest and collect such necessary fees and charges incidental to their microfinance operations; |
| | | g. | Borrow money or incur such obligations for the purpose of relending to microfinance borrowers. An MF-NGO shall not be deemed as engaged in quasi-banking activities if the proceeds of the borrowings are exclusively used for relending to microfinance borrowers; |
| | | h. | Accept donations or grants or contributions in accordance with existing laws and regulations; |
| | | i. | Invest their funds in sound, non-speculative enterprises and instruments, subject to rules and regulations of the relevant government regulatory agency; |
| | | j. | Maintain a transparent and comprehensive management information system; and |
| | | k. | Publish and disclose audited accounts at the end of every financial year. |
