-
Economists Demonstrate One Size Does Not Fit All for Microfinance Programs
New Study Reveals Wide Variance in Results from Thai Million Baht Village FundLarge-scale microfinance programs are widely used as a tool to fight poverty in developing countries, but a recent study from the Consortium on Financial Systems and Poverty suggests that they can have varying results for participants and may be the most cost-effective use of funds only in limited situations.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Facebook-style Microcredit Site Helps China Farmers
BEIJING: Dairy farmer Deligeerma needs 642 to buy fodder for her cows during the harsh winter months in northern China. So far, she has received 149 in pledges from four people around the world.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
IFC To Start $100M Microfinance Debt Fund
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, along with two other investors, will set up a $100 million debt fund called Micro Finance Initiative for Asia (MIFA), to address the funding needs of microfinance institutions in developing and underdeveloped economies.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
ADB Plans to Invest $100M in Environment Fund
The Asian Development Bank is expected to invest about $100 million in a multinational fund that will be put up to boost investments in environment-related technologies and projects in developing countries like the Philippines.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Alliance Pushes Social Entrepreneurship Bill
An alliance of farmers, workers, community enterprises, business associations and fair trade groups is pushing for the approval of a measure designed to institutionalize social entrepreneurship (SE) nationwide.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
IFC Stakes 18.9% Equity in ACCION
ACCION International, parent company of Accion Nigeria and a pioneer in global microfinance, has signed an agreement with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group focused exclusively on the private sector, in which IFC will invest approximately $1 million in ACCION’s Chinese affiliate, ACCION Microfinance China (AMC). The investment will enable ACCION to strengthen the operations of AMC, which it launched in December 2009 in Chifeng Prefecture, Inner Mongolia, to deliver financial serv...
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
China Raises Poverty Line: Is it Setting an Example for Poverty Alleviation?
China announced a new standard for defining poverty on Tuesday as it seeks to bridge the gap between the country’s wealthier and poorer classes. The central authorities have decided to raise the poverty threshold to 2,300 yuan ($362), in terms of a farmer’s annual net income, which marks an 80 percent rise from the 1,274 yuan standard in 2010. The 2010 figure was itself the result of marked revision; the standard was 206 yu...
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Bringing Online Education to Mongolia, in Wireless Backpacks
As a turbulent snowstorm whips across the vast, desolate Mongolian grasslands, a group of schoolchildren huddle over laptops, their eyes transfixed as the sagacious Sal Khan works through Newtonian physics. But Khan is only reaching these kids because of a bold initiative from another creative edupreneur: Neil Dsouza , age 27, cofounder of TeachAClass.org , ...
- Region
- Asia Pacific
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.