Iffath A Sharif was a Research Associate, working in the Policy Research Department of the Institute for Development Policy Analysis and Advocacy, Proshika. She has also served as a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme in Dhaka, working primarily on the UNDP strategy in the area of micro credit. She is currently working on financial sector reform issues and their relevance to the sustainability of lending systems for the poor in a Masters programme at Princeton University, USA.