| Stage | Feature | Providers | Capital source | Service object |
| The first stage (1994-October, 1996) | Aim to poverty alleviation | NGOs | International donors, soft loans | Poor farmers |
| The second stage (October, 1996-2000) | policy microfinance poverty alleviation project arose | Government agency, agricultural bank of China and agricultural development Bank of china | financial fund, discount government loans | Poor farmers |
| The third stage (2000-2005) | Commercial microfinance business arose, such as micro-credit and grope loans for farmers | Formal financial institutions got in, mainly rural credit cooperatives | Financial fund, discount government loans, commercial bank loans | Poor farmers, normal farmers and micro-enterprises |
| The fourth stage (2005 till now) | Professional organizations got in | Commercial micro-credit institutions got in, including loan-only companies, village banks, rural mutual cooperatives, and China postal savings bank | Financial fund, discount government loans, commercial bank loans, capital from non-financial institutions | Poor farmers, normal farmers and micro-enterprises |