In a bid to help alleviate poverty and unemployment inJordan, Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, has opened the first Arab-based bank for the poor. The bank will provide soft loans to small and medium-size projects in the region.The National Bank for Small and Medium Projects is the result of an agreement between Jordan and Prince Tala''s Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND).
According to AFP, official figures, show that 14% of Jordan's 5.4 million inhabitants live below the poverty line, but unofficial estimates put their number as high as 31%.
