The hypothesis of this research article is that the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh has successfully used both formal and informal participatory methods to be accountable to and engage their beneficiaries in alleviating poverty through providing rural credit services to the poor. Grameen Bank which means village bank has always strived to use participatory methods to be accountable and effectively combat poverty amongst the poor of Bangladesh.

Although arguably, participatory methods used by Grameen Bank have been largely successful, this article will also attempt to critically reflect on potential weaknesses of the participatory methods used by Grameen Bank with the objective of providing a balanced view of these methods.

The  author can be reached at: shishirakhouri@legalserviceindia.com