Microcredit provides small, collateral-free loans to the poor, especially women. It began with Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and has grown significantly. Studies show microcredit lifts some out of poverty and empowers women by providing access to finance and opportunities for asset creation, employment, and social awareness. However, critics argue it mainly benefits the moderate poor and can lead to over-indebtedness from multiple borrowing and coercive collection practices in some cases. Overall, microcredit has had positive anti-poverty impacts in Bangladesh but continuing issues around interest rates, product diversification, and exogenous factors remain.