Ismail Serageldin has played an important role in the support of the international micro-finance movement. He has been a longtime supporter of the efforts to empower the poor through micro-finance services. In 1995,Serageldin joined with Muhammad Yunus, Sam Daley-Harris, Ela Bhatt, Nancy Barry and many others to launch the micro-credit summit. This was a unique people-centered event that brought together almost 3,000 persons from 140 countries to Washington DC in February 1997 to start a campaign to reach 100 million of the world's poorest families, especially women, through micro-finance services by 2005.

Ismail Serageldin was also the founder and first chairman of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP). This was the result of an earlier effort in 1993 that dealt with combatting world hunger.

On June 16, 1999, the Grameen Foundation (USA) chose Ismail Serageldin to be honored as its first recipient of its Award for a lifetime commitment to combating poverty. The award was given at a major reception at the UN in New York, and was presided over by Ted Turner and Peter Jennings [See Grameen Foundation gives Serageldin top Poverty Award].