Like other developing countries, microfinance programs have been part of the
poverty alleviation strategy in reaching the poor who are normally excluded
from the formal credit sector. The inaccessibility of the poor to credit was
mainly due to lack of good collateral or guarantors to qualify them for existing
bank products. The microfinance programs as an approach taken to eradicate
poverty is believed to be able in helping the poor to expand their economic
activities and thus increase their income level as it open up the accessibility of
the poor to credit. As such, to achieve its utmost impact on the poor, the
development of effective and efficient microfinance institutions (MFIs) and
improvement in the accessibility of the products and services provided by
these institutions are crucial. This paper discusses the role and microfinance
programs provided by two microfinance institutions in Malaysia, namely, the
Bank Pertanian Malaysia (BPM) and Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha
Niaga (TEKUN). In specific, we examine their performance in terms of the
products and services offered, delivery mechanism, outreach and its sustainability