Small Loans, Big Dreams is the classic account of the origins and development of microfinance in Bangladesh by Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. Alex Counts, a protegé of Yunus and founder of the Grameen Foundation, paints vivid portraits of the determined women he came to know whose lives have been transformed by the opportunity to launch a small business, first in the countryside of Bangladesh, then in downtown Chicago, where an experimental project brought the micro nance method to America. In this new edition, Counts traces the history of microfinance, exploring the ways Grameen Bank has evolved in response to challenges from economic downturns to environmental crises. He responds to critics who have questioned the value of the Grameen model and describes the lasting legacy of Yunus’s remarkable vision. Small Loans, Big Dreams shows how microfinance can play a critical role in reducing the scourge of inequality by enabling underprivileged people to participate creatively in the global economy.