NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

FINCA Int?l Announces Launch of FINCA Microfinance Holdings

Microfinance organization FINCA International (FINCA), recently announced the launch of a subsidiary called FINCA Microfinance Holdings, LLC (FMH). FMH, will strike a balance between attracting capital needed for expansion and protecting the integrity of FINCA’s charitable mission. It is also expected to help FINCA nearly double its client base to 1.5 million people across its network of 21 programs in Africa, Latin America, Eurasia and the Greater Middle East, while maintaining its...

Source

Microfinance Focus (link opens in a new window)

Can Matt Damon Bring Clean Water to Africa?

Once upon a time, Matt Damon went for a long walk in rural Zambia. The devoted family man and method philanthropist was accompanying a 14-year-old Zambian girl who had no idea that her hiking companion was an Academy Award-winning international heartthrob. The walk came toward the end of a 10-day African journey, a systematic primer on the complexities of the continent’s extreme poverty that had been organized for Damon by staffers from his friend Bono’s ONE campaign. Damon was ...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Agriculture

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

AP Govt Sends Proposal for Microfinance NBFC to Centre

The Andhra Pradesh government has sent proposals to the Centre to start a non-banking financial institution to meet microfinance requirements of the state’s poor people, a senior state official said today. The proposed non-banking finance company (NBFC) will charge an interest of 15% against 24 to 26% being charged by private MFIs in the state, Reddy Subrahmanyam, principal secretary, rural development said. "The proposals have been sent and we are awaiting the Centre’s no...

Source

Moneycontrol.com (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Unitus Labs, Unitus Impact Partner Over Livelihood Support Venture for Poor

Unitus Labs recently announced that it will support an initiative to build income-generating opportunities for millions of people battling poverty. Unitus Labs will partner with Unitus Impact Partners LLC (Unitus Impact), a new impact investing firm focused on livelihood acceleration for the base of the economic pyramid (BoP) in Asia and Africa, to implement this initiative. Unitus Impact will focus on supporting livelihoods ventures with the early stage ventures that require equi...

Source

Microfinance Focus (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Bottom of Pyramid Moves to 2.0 Version

BANGALORE: The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), a dominant idea in business, will now move into a 2.0 framework. The concept in its original shape dealt with how large corporations can develop products for low-income and below the poverty line (BPL) customers for profit. Around 400 million people in India live below $1.25 per day. BOP 2.0 goes a step further in calling for co-creation of products with communities th...

Source

The Times of India (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

IDB Offers $25 Million Loan to Raise Farmer?s Productivity in Peru

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently offered a $25 million loan to increase productivity and exports of farmers in Peru. The program will directly benefit about 14,000 producers participating in the Program of Compensation for Competitiveness, over the next four years, of which an estimated 42 percent are women. The program aims to raise farmers’ productivity by 10 percent and increase the value of their products in domestic and foreign markets by 20 percent by the end...

Source

Microfinance Focus (link opens in a new window)

Region

Latin America

The WaterWheel Makes Clean Water Cheaper, Easier to Carry

Not everyone can just turn on the tap to access clean water; in the developing world, women regularly carry five-gallon, 42-pound buckets of water on their heads. The Hippo Water Roller, a device that allows users to easily roll 24 gallons of water along the ground, has made life easier for over 30,000 people in the past 15 years--while becoming something of a ...

Source

Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Orb Energy, Acumen Fund Announce Partnership to Address Energy Needs for Millions in India

Mumbai, India, June 20, 2011 - Orb Energy Pte Ltd. (Orb) , one of India’s leading providers of solar energy systems, and Acumen Fund , a nonprofit global venture firm addressing poverty in South Asia and East Africa, today announced a partnership to address energy needs for millions of Indians without reliable electricity. Acumen Fund is making a significant e...

Source

Acumen Fund (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia