Articles by James Militzer
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Tuesday
February 17
2015Understanding the ‘Invisible Finance Sector’: FAI Executive Director Jonathan Morduch discusses the U.S Financial Diaries’ research on informal finance – Part 1
It’s easy to assume that informal financial tools like family loans are only used when people lack access to formal finance. But that’s not what the U.S. Financial Diaries project has found. In part one of this Q&A, Financial Access Initiative Executive Director Jonathan Morduch discusses the enduring appeal of informal finance among low-income people - and what it means for financial services providers.
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- Education
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Saturday
February 7
2015Weekly Roundup – 2/7/15: Debt and Forgiveness: A drastic solution to over-indebtedness among the poor
Seven years after a financial crisis caused in part by excess debt, all the world’s major economies have higher levels of borrowing than they did in 2007, said a report released this week. Meanwhile, one country has responded to excess debt among the poor by forcing lenders to forgive it. We discuss these developments, and some great financial inclusion news coming out of India, in this Roundup.
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- Agriculture
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Saturday
January 17
2015Roundup 1/17/15 – Superman, Robin Hood and Stock Trading: Should the U.S. impose a financial transaction tax?
In the film Superman III, a computer programmer embezzles huge sums from his employer’s payroll by diverting small amounts from each check into his account. Unbeknownst to many, high frequency stock traders in the U.S. and other countries use a similar technique - legally. But if Congress passes a recent proposal for a financial transaction tax, the practice would end. We discuss the implications in this Roundup.
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- Impact Assessment
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Friday
January 16
2015Serving SMEs in a Tough Neighborhood: Part two of our Q&A with the CEO and Managing Director of the Middle East Investment Initiative
The Middle East Investment Initiative is a U.S.-based non-profit whose mission is to develop innovative finance tools for SMEs in the Middle East and North Africa, including the Palestinian Territories. Its CEO and Managing Director discuss the challenges it faces - from attitudes toward women to political instability - working in this volatile region.
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- Uncategorized
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Thursday
January 15
2015Peace Through Finance?: How the Middle East Investment Initiative uses financial tools to help a troubled region
It often seems like a unique set of religious and tribal conflicts are responsible for the Middle East’s problems. But they’re also driven in part by a more universal concern: a weak economy. That’s why the Middle East Investment Initiative is delivering finance and technical assistance that stimulate sustainable economic growth in the region. We discuss this approach with the organization’s CEO and Managing Director in part 1 of this Q&A.
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- Uncategorized
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Wednesday
December 31
2014The Supply Chains of the Future: How Tau Investment Management is using strategic supply chain investment to transform the garment industry
Factory fires and collapses have killed almost 2,000 workers in Bangladesh’s garment industry in the past 10 years. Tau Investment Management is addressing these challenges by investing to create a better supply chain. Benjamin Skinner, Tau’s co-founder and senior vice president, discusses the approach in part five of our Impact Investing Insights video series.
- Categories
- Environment
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Saturday
December 27
2014A Visionary Approach to Financial Inclusion: Nachiket Mor discusses his groundbreaking plan for universal financial access in India – Part 1
The Nachiket Mor committee report has garnered global headlines by setting a lofty goal - bank accounts for all Indian adults by 2016 – and laying out an innovative, detailed vision of how to reach it. Mor discusses the much-debated report in part 1 of this Q&A.
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- Uncategorized
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Friday
December 5
2014The Past and Future of Mobile Finance in Africa: Part two of our Q&A with Henry Maloba at Grameen Foundation’s Mobile Financial Services Accelerator
Henry Maloba leads Grameen Foundation’s Mobile Financial Services Accelerator in Uganda, which aims to bring financial services to rural Ugandans by forging collaboration between telcos and banks. In part two of our Q&A, Maloba discusses the tensions between these sectors and among telcos themselves, and shares his views on the recent past and future of mobile financial services in Africa.
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- Uncategorized