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This study explores the factors influencing youth entrepreneurs in Tanzania to adopt crowdlending as an alternative source of finance and the challenges they encounter in the process. Using a qualitative case study approach, interviews were conducted with 15 young entrepreneurs who successfully accessed loans through a crowdlending platform. Thematic analysis was conducted through transcription, coding, and theme development processes. The findings indicate that financial necessity and limited access to traditional banking were the primary motivators for adopting crowdlending. However, the study also found that entrepreneurs often have a limited understanding of the crowdfunding process, as many access the platform through intermediaries. Additionally, the study identifies high interest rates and transaction costs imposed by financial intermediaries as major barriers to the perceived benefits of crowdlending. The findings underscore the importance of tailored financial literacy initiatives, user-centred platform design, and policy frameworks to unlock crowdlending’s potential for inclusive youth entrepreneurship in Tanzania. 

The study attempts to ascertain the determinants of nonperforming loans in National Bank of Commerce. Data was collected from 152 respondents. Tables, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze data. Data collection methods adopted for the study were interview, questionnaire and documentary evidence. Interest rate, GDP, concentration of lending activities, bank’s loan supervision capacity and economic condition were investigated, and the results suggest that interest rate, GDP, bank’s loan supervision capacity and economic condition influence the level of NPLs. However, the results did not suggest that concentration of lending activities increase the level of NPLs.   The study suggests that banks should put in place a vibrant credit process that ensures proper customer selection and risk identification, robust credit analysis, proactive monitoring and clear recovery strategies for bad loans, formulate clear policy framework that addresses issues of ethical standards and check and balance credit process, organizational capacity enhancement of banks, deliberate effort to develop credit culture for managing loans ,and ensure prudent policies that govern bank loans. Since the results for this study were encouraging, the researcher encourages replicating the study for other lending institutions. In order to extend the literature on non-performing loans, the researcher suggested incorporating models of Golem effect, Social loafing, Inverted pyramid effect, Pollyanna effect and High default culture effect.  Also, basing on the merits of the study, the researcher suggests determining relationship between non-performing loans and loan size, collateral, credit culture, and credit management information system.

Many credit schemes in Tanzania channel their funds to women with the objective of alleviating poverty among them. Despite this, majority of women in the country continue to wallow in poverty. The present research was carried out among the Foundation for International Community Assistance’s women credit beneficiaries in Mwanza. The study set out to address the following objectives: to analyze the influence of the husband’s cooperation, relevant training and interest rate on poverty alleviation among women credit beneficiaries in Tanzania taking Foundation for International Community Assistance in Mwanza as a case study. Using simple regression model, results showed that cooperation from the husband as well as relevant training influences poverty alleviation among women credit beneficiaries in Tanzania by 56 and 36 percent respectively. But interest rate was found to have no significant influence at all. The paper recommends that seminars be conducted so that husbands can be taught the importance of cooperating with their wives. Above all giving training to women credit beneficiaries will go a long way in sharpening their business skills. Future researchers should research on laziness and complacency among women credit beneficiaries and the influence on poverty.