Credit and Savings research contain some of the earliest projects at the Centre for Micro Finance. Projects in this theme seek to answer questions regarding the impact of credit and savings products on poor households. In India the predominant form of microfinance is micro-credit, disbursed through joint liability groups or self-help groups with weekly repayment meetings. Yet, despite of more than 80 million microfinance clients on the sub-continent and billions of dollars in funding, little is known about the impact of micro-credit on households, communities and the economy. CMF's pioneering study with Spandana found that 18-24 months after formal micro-credit's arrival into the slums of Hyderabad, households, particularly entrepreneurially inclined, spent more on durables and less on non-durables and temptation goods. There was also the creation of 30% more new businesses as the result of micro-credit's availability in the slums. Other credit and savings studies look at issues such as the psychology of debt, the impact of a flexible loan contracts and the impact of the Self-Help Group model.

Motivating research questions behind Credit and Savings research projects include:
- What is the impact of micro-credit on the creation of small businesses? What is the impact of micro-credit on business profitability?
- How does the structure of a loan contract effect credit usage, default rates and social capital?
- What is the impact of the Self-Help Group model at the household level?