Micro-finance clients are often described according to their poverty level - vulnerable non-poor, upper poor, poor, very poor. However, this can obscure the fact that micro-finance clients are a diverse group of people – and require diverse products.

Generally speaking, micro-finance clients are poor and in desperate need of financial capital in order to survive and provide for their families.

These clients operate small businesses, work on small farms, or work for themselves or others in a variety of businesses – fishing, carpentry, vegetable selling, small shops, transportation, and much more. Some of these micro-finance clients are truly entrepreneurs – they enjoy creating and running their own businesses. Others become entrepreneurs by necessity when there are few jobs available in the formal sector.